On the Doorstep
by the BugSlayer
Summary: Laurëel, Daughter of Paulina, resolves to join the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. Of course, being a girl, and a stranger, Laurëel quickly finds that it will be a struggle to do so. Okay, so summaries aren't my strong point. But seriously, check it out. [Kili x OC]
1. Chapter 1 The door step

Hello readers! Thanks oh so much for clicking on this story. I have the next three chapters written and will be posting them in the next few days, but I'm still writing and changing! So comments and suggestions are welcome and much appreciated. This is the first fanfiction I've posted so please don't hate me. I'm anxious to improve!

Disclaimer: As everyone knows I do not own the Hobbit. Lines characters and plot all belong to Tolkien or Peter Jackson. The only thing I own in Laurëel.

Enjoy!

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The gentle breeze cuts through my thick hair. Each of the tiny braids moving in their own way, simply writhing in the air or, like me front most braid, banging repeatedly into my face. That one braid. I grabbed in my rough fingers and stuffed it quickly behind one of my ears. It quickly slides out again. I sigh in annoyance and just decide to let it be. Instead, I look up at the clear sky above me. The stars twinkled down merrily on the rolling hills of the shire. It was much too quiet here at night. It felt unnatural. A Fat hobbit walked down the road from the other direction, a lantern in one hand a bottle of ale in the other. He hummed a simple hobbit tune as he strolled along, pausing every so often to take another swig.

"Excuse me sir." My cockney accent thick as I hail the drunken hobbit. The smaller fellow stopped, startled. "But have you been seein' a large company of dwarves in these here parts."

"Y-yes." He sputters, squinting his eyes to see if there's one of me or twenty. "There's a large group of em up at Bag End." He points with his lantern towards a large whole nettled perfectly at the top of the hill. "Quiet a loud lot, but they seem to 'ave quieted down a bit."

"Thank you sir." I nod to him before continuing up the path. I don't bother to look back at him cause he's none of my concern now. As I near the round green door I hear a hum of voices echoing inside. And I know I've found the place.

_Far over the Misty Mountains Cold._ I hear one voice start. One deep, beautiful voice. And I find myself frozen to the spot, just listening to that pure, deep sound. Like the stones shiftin' in the ground I feel it. My limbs quiver with delight.

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_ Now I start hearing other voices join in. It's like a symphony of the rocks themselves, only a bit more dwarf soundin' and a lot less rock.

_To find our long forgotten gold _They start the next verse with such power and feelin', I feel myself almost floatin' away into the sky.

_The pines were roaring on the heights_ I can see the trees, twistin' an turnin' upon the side of the mountain.

_The winds were moaning in the night_ The roar in my ears in deafenin' like I'm in the middle of a fearsome hurricane.

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_ Everything is burnin' I hear the cries of anguish, forgotten long ago.

_The trees like torches blazed with light_

And I'm back. Standing in front of that round green door. The humming fades away into the night. I straighten my back and raise my fist to the wood.

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What will happen next? "gasp"

Yeah, probably not too hard to guess. Anyway, there you go. Yay! Reviews are most appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2 Meeting the company

Chapter 2! Yay! Very excited. You can probably tell. Thank you Dragon flam for reviewing! Anyway... This chapter is from an omniscient perspective. There will be more first person perspective in a later chapter.

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Bilbo shot up in his chair back in the darkness of the hall. The deep hum of the dwarves' song had ended and was instead replaced with a loud hard knocking on the front door of Bag End. The hobbit twitches ever so slightly. A mix of exhaustion and curiosity conflicted in his small, overwhelmed brain. The hobbit slowly rose to his bare, hair covered feet. He slowly approached the front door. The knocking came again, louder this time. Bilbo was painfully aware of the thirteen pairs of dwarven eyes watching him expectantly. As well as the tall wizard observing carefully. Bilbo inhaled sharply and opened the door. Standing up straight on the hobbit's front porch is a young woman. She was sturdy in build though not quite as thick as a dwarf, though just as short. And she showed no signs of a beard either. Her blonde hair was plaited into tiny braids with silver beads tied in here and there. One braid fell across her face slightly until she brushed it away quickly behind her slightly pointed ears. She smiled broadly at the hobbit before speaking up. Her words were slightly tinted with an accent, but Bilbo understood her clearly.

"Laurëel" She bows deeply "At yer service." She straights up again, still smiling. Bilbo could see, out of the corner of his eye the dwarves whispering amongst themselves. The hobbit, seeing no other course of action, let the young lady in. She bowed her head slightly in thanks and strode in. Her thick muddy boots making a lighter sound than Bilbo had thought possible. She had no cloak or any shelter from the elements. Just some simple armor and traveling clothes. The lady's tanned shoulders were bare, though her fore arms were clad in armor, cloth, and a string of silver beads. Resting on her back was a strange looking weapon. At on end stood a single bladed axe, at the other end was a small blade. It didn't look convenient, but it did look deadly. More than one dwarf gulped slightly at the sight of it. But, most of them stared in confusion at the girl herself. Then to Thorin, trying to gauge his reaction. All he showed was a wary eye set firmly on the new comer standing in front of him.

"Thorin Oakensheild." The woman whispered in awe. "I am honored to be in your presence, King under the mountain." She dipped her head slightly before looking back up at the dwarf.

"Are you indeed? And might I ask who-" But he was cut off by the girl.

"I am truly, but I'm afraid you are not my reason for bein' ere." She turned abruptly to peer at the faces of the other dwarves. Thorin stood silently, a little stunned to the abrupt change of interest and her rude way of doing it. But his fuming was broken when the girl cried out in delight.

"UNCLE BOMBOR!" The girl cried as she rushed to the plump, startled dwarf.

"Uncle… who me?" Bombor asked a little startled. "I don't believe we've met." He looked around at the questioning eyes peering from all sides.

"I'm Laurëel Daughter of Paulina. You wife's sister?" Laurëel hinted hopefully. Bombor just shook his head. "Never been told of me then?" The girl sighed. "Might as well 'ave expected it. Guess I'm not really a topic that would be often mentioned."

"I never knew Paulina had a daughter." Bombor nodded, aware of all the stares. "I thought she had disappeared many moons ago."

"So that's the story they've been spreading around have they." Laurëel snorted.

"She's not?" Bofur asked, trying to break some of the tension and awkwardness the clung to the air like honey.

"Not in the slightest." Laurëel shook her head defiantly. "Her family always knew exactly where she was."

"And where is she?" Bofur tried to continue.

"Well now she's dead." Laurëel stated simply, her broad smile fading away completely.

"Oh." Bofur said. Silence lay upon the room like a thick woolen blanket. "I'm sorry." Bofur offered. The rest nodded in silent agreement.

"Well you ain't be the ones who killed her now are ye? So why should you be apologizin'?" Laurëel raised her head again smiling once more. Bilbo noticed her quickly flick a tear from her eye. "Just me on my own now. Which is why I came looking for you." Laurëel explained looking back at Bombor.

"What about your father?" Bombor asked, still a little confused. Laurëel scowled deeply.

"That vile good for nothing twig man?" Laurëel growled questioningly. The others looked at each other warily.

"Not on good terms?" Bofur asked cautiously.

"There ain't a word in even the black tongue to describe our 'terms' at the moment." The company of dwarves looked at her with wide eyes. Even Gandalf looked up briefly.

"I see." Bofur nodded.

"But!" Laurëel turned cheerily. "When I heard my uncle was traveling with King Oakensheild himself to reclaim their homeland, I came searchin' quick as I could."

"Why?" Nori asked, surprised.

"To offer my services of course!" Laurëel beamed turning to Thorin. "I would be honored if you would let me join your company on this quest." Thorin just stared at her silently for a while. The rest of the company not daring to make a sound.

"No." He decided finally. Everyone looked at him, astounded.

"No?" Laurëel asked, wondering if she had misheard.

"That is final." Thorin said, turning away. "I will not let a woman come on such a dangerous quest. Especially not one as young as yourself." Gandalf noticed the dwarf king glance discreetly at his nephews. Laurëel let out a cry of outrage.

"That's not fair!" She cried out. "You're letting them come." She pointed at Fili, Kili, and Ori who both looked away, feeling slightly guilty for some reason.

"My decision is final!" Thorin repeated, raising his voice slightly causing Bilbo to wince. "Your arguing is only proving my point." That shut Laurëel up quickly.

"Very well." She said more collected this time. Though she looked calm, she did not sound it. There was an edge to her voice. "If you will not have me, then my journey here has been a waste. I wish you quick and pleasant travels on your quest, _sir_." Laurëel spat out the last word with such sarcasm that several dwarves stiffened slightly. "I'll see my way out then." With that, Laurëel turned on her heal and stomped out through the round door and into the night. Silence followed for some time after. No one quite sure what to make of what they had just witnessed.

"We have a long journey ahead of us." Thorin said finally. "Lets all get some sleep. This will be our last time sleeping inside for a time." With that he left, making his way into one of the back rooms the catch some sleep. Slowly, dwarves and wizards and hobbits drifted to find some place to rest their eyes. Soon, only Kili and Fili remained, sitting by the fire which Fili prodded absentmindedly with a poker.

"So" Kili started "What do you think?"

"Of what?" Fili mumbled smiling as he pushed a log to make a satisfying pop.

"That girl." Kili clarified a little impatiently. Fili glanced over at his younger brother. Kili was looking back at him expectantly. Fili laughed slightly before turning back to the fire.

"That weapon of hers looked pretty fearsome." Fili said neutrally.

"You don't think she was pretty?" Kili asked, waiting silently for his brother's response. Fili shrugged.

"Mila's much more beautiful." Fili poked the fire again. Kili's face fell. The dark haired dwarf looked at his brother's eyes. They were distant and far away.

"You still miss her." Kili concluded, whispering the last words quietly. Fili continued to stare into the fire. Kili thought he wasn't going to speak anymore.

"No point holding on to the past." Fili stated, rising from his seat and putting away the poker. "Come on." He motioned to his brother. "We should get some sleep."

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Well... What do you think? Please review and tell me! I love getting feed back.


	3. Chapter 3 They ride east

Okay! Time to start the journey! Yay! I just keep getting more and more excited about this!

Time for the first interaction between Kili and Laurëel! wahahahahaha...Anyway, please review if you have the time! I love feedback and suggestions! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or and of the lines from the movie yadda yadda yadda you get the drift.

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The next day started early for the company. Though even the first dwarf to awaken, who happened to be Nori, found Gandalf already sitting by the window smoking his pipe. The gray wizard stared thoughtfully out the window. Muttering to himself absentmindedly. Soon the dwarves were up and started out the door. But they did not get far before Thorin halted just out of the gate. He stared down at the body lying against the fence.

"Finally up?" Laurëel asked raising her eyes to meet the dwarven lord's.

"You will not be coming." Thorin repeated. Laurëel just shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Thorin turned and the company made their way down the hill to the field where they had kept their ponies. Kili winked at the girl as he passed. She rolled her eyes and stuck her foot out. Fili looked over at his brother in alarm as he saw the younger dwarf stumble a bit down the hill he looked back at the girl sitting on the ground. Her face held a sly smirk on it. Fili glared at her, but she didn't notice. Once the last dwarf was a couple of yards away, Laurëel picked herself off the ground and followed them on foot. This caused many of the dwarves to look behind them and mutter to one another.

"Do not follow us." Thorin called back.

"I'm not." Laurëel replied. "I just happen to be goin' the same way as you lot." Thorin growled but said nothing. The company mounted their ponies and started off.

"You think Bilbo will be showin' up?" Bofur asked no one in particular.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Balin sighed shaking his head.

"I would!" Ori cried from somewhere towards the back of the group.

"20 shillings?" Fili asked, raising an eyebrow.

"25." Gandalf said confidently.

"I'd never happen." Nori shook his head. Soon, the majority of the company had settled their bets. Now was just to wait and see if the Halfling would show. Kili looked backwards anxiously, hoping (for the sake of some 25 shillings) there wouldn't be a hobbit behind them. There wasn't, but he was surprised to see Laurëel walking a bit behind them.

"She kept up with us." The darker haired brother whispered to the fairer on.

"Who?" Fill asked, turning in surprise.

"Laurëel." Kili repeated, looking back. "She's on foot and she's kept up with the ponies."

"We aren't exactly going very fast." Fili pointed out. Kili shrugged, his brother had a point.

"WAIT! WAIT!" All ponies stopped, their riders turning in their seats to see a little man running up after them, a long piece of paper flapping behind him. "I signed it!" He said winded, handing the contract to Balin. The old dwarf raised an odd looking spectacle to his eye and looked at the contract before announcing.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Mr. Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakensheild." Some of the group applauded. Balin gave Bilbo a small wink, causing the confused hobbit to smile a bit.

"Give him a pony." Thorin ordered before turning away again and trotting forward.

"No, no that won't be necessary." Bilbo said startled. "I can walk. I've gone on a few walking holidays myself. Actually got as far as Frogmorton once-" Then he was interrupted as he was lifted by two dwarves into a saddle. This entire time, Laurëel had not stopped walking. She was now a little bit ahead of the company, but once they started again they quick passed her. Kili kept looking back at the odd girl. Her head hung low and she kept her eyes on the road, looking up every now and then to glare at Thorin.

After what felt like forever, The Company made camp atop a ridge. It was a good defensible position with a large flat rock defending one side, and a sheer cliff on the other. Gloin got a fire started and they all settled down for some food.

Laurëel swung gracefully into a tree a bit ways off. Her stomach grumbled quietly. She started to feel slightly stupid for not bringing any supplies. In order to distract herself, she brought out her pipes and started playing them. She smiled. Her mother had given them too her when she was still a wee lass. And they always reminded Laurëel of her dear sweet mum. Back at the fire, several heads turned to look for the sound, at last spotting Laurëel in the distance.

"Kili." Thorin spoke up, startling everyone. "There seems to be a strange song bird over there and it's disrupting the ponies. If it keeps making that racket, shoot it down." Kili looked at his uncle in astonishment.

"Thorin, do you know what yer saying?" Balin asked, astounded. Thorin ignored the question. The music quickly ceased and all that could be heard was the crackle of the fire and the sound of crickets. Gandalf made his way over to Thorin as the others started settling down.

"Thorin." The wizard began wondering how to go about this with tact. "Perhaps we should let her come with us." Thorin looked at Gandalf in suspicion. "She has no where else to go, and she's very willing. She looks to be a good fighter too."

"No." Thorin shook his head. "This is no place for a young girl. She'll give up soon enough."

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that." Gandalf sighed before walking away. Why must Thorin be so stubborn? The wizard asked to himself.

"Fili, your on first watch." Thorin instructed before settling down the rest.

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Soooooooooooo? What do you think? Please tell me!


	4. Chapter 4 Beside the Fire

Next chapter! Yayyyyyy! Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system... phew. Anyway! Please enjoy and review! I LOVE getting feedback. It lets me know that someone is actually reading this!

Hopefully, my chapters will start getting a bit longer! But, my writing tends to do whatever my writing feels like doing at the time so I never know when one chapter will end and another begins. Another chapter narrated by Laurëel herself! Which meannnsss More Cockney accent! Sometimes if I write it from her point of view too often I start thinking with an accent. Not fun.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or any lines from the movie. *sniff sniff*(so sad, I know)

Anyway! Enough jabber, I'll let you get to reading!

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The hours passed by slowly as I sat in my little tree. I could barely see the fire from were I had seated myself, but just knowin' they were there made all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, I could hear em just fine. I looked over as the little hobbit, Bilbo I think his name was, crept up to his pony, an apple hidden in one hand. He handed it to the beast, which munched down happily. I wish I could have one of those apples. They were lookin' mighty tasty at the moment. I shot up in my perch, almost knockin' me self right out o' the branches. I had been startled by an inhuman cry in the dark.

"No, not again." I muttered to myself. Then I noticed that they heard it too. "Thank goodness it's not just me." I sigh to myself before turnin' my attention to the conversation by the fire.

"What was that?" The hobbit asks someone out of my sight nervously.

"Orcs." A younger dwarven voice replies.

"Orcs?" Bilbo repeats, a squeak in his voice.

"Throat cutters." An older sounding dwarf explains. "There'll be hundreds of them out there." Bilbo looks out over the cliff nervously.

"They strike in these few hours when everyone's asleep." The first one speaks again. "Quick and quiet. No screams. Just lots of blood." The hobbit is thoroughly spooked now. My eyebrows narrow in anger and my mind starts thinking of some prank I can pull to scare those two idiots out of their wits. Especially when they start chuckling. But then I realize I don't need to. Cause then I hear another voice.

"You think that's funny?" The laughter stops immediately and I see Bilbo turnin' around like he's missed somethin'. It's Oakensheild. I would know that unhappy growl of a voice anywhere. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" I don't like 'im, but at least he put those two in their place.

"We… we didn't mean anything by it." The younger one apologizes.

"No. You didn't." Thorin growls "You know nothing of the world." I saw the dwarven king walk into view. He stood, brooding, over looking the cliff and the sea of trees below.

"It's alright laddie." An older dwarf says, appearing by the fire. "Thorin has more reason than most to hate orc." And I don't hear what he says after that, cause then my ears started pickin' up a different sound. A kind of scratchy sound. Like hard wood bein' scraped over stone. Quietly as I could, I dropped down from my branch and started along the ground towards where I thought the sound was comin'. I grabbed my urgrosh from my back and held it ready as I crept forward, brandishing the axe side as my first strike. Turnin' the corner I came upon an orc scout creepin' around. He squeaked in fear at the sight of me then went silent. I brought my blade back up and hung it on my back again. I grabbed the orc's limp body and began draggin' it back around towards the fire. Maybe this would prove my worth.

"And the pale orc." I heard the hobbit ask. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole he came from." Thorin answered. "That filth died of his wounds long ago." Then all heads turned to me as I entered. The body wasn't exactly quiet. No one said a word as I threw it to the ground in front of Oakensheild. He raised a questioning eye at me.

"I found this lurkin' around." I explained simply. "Ain't it funny how such a helpless, innocent, young girl such as myself" I started, my voice drippin' with sarcasm. "Was able to find and kill this thing before any of you did?" Some of the company looked slightly impressed, others motioned for me to watch my tongue. "He was headin' back to warn his master no doubt." I mused. "Now wouldn't that be a problem?" I realized I had pushed it too far. He was never goin' to back down now.

"What is it you want?" He asked finally, eyebrows low.

"I want to know how many times I'll have to save your sorry hides before you realize I can fend for myself?" I asked, starting to get a little angry. "Let me join you on this quest! I don't need no gold nor silver. I just want to help you fight."

"Fighting just for bloodlust has no honor. Why do you want to fight?" Thorin asked, still seeming like he could spit fire.

"I want to prove myself." I declared. "To my mother. My _father_." I hissed the last word out. "And to anyone who ever dared told me I wasn't good enough." My eyes stared back at Thorin defiantly, feeling as though he could see the fire burnin' in my eyes. We stared down each other for what seems like forever. Though I'm more staring up cause he's much taller than me. Then, finally he speaks.

"Very well, Laurëel daughter of Paulina." He says, though I know he don't like it. "You may join us." With that he turns away as the rest of the company cheers enthusiastically. I feel as though I've just won the greatest battle in the world. I see that wizard staring at me in the back, an amused smile on his face. Soon many of the dwarves started pattin' me on the back and rufflin' my hair, though the braids don't make that too easy. And I sat down at the fire proudly; cause I know what I did ain't easy. I didn't ask for food though cause that would make me seem like I did it out of desperation instead of for my honor. But the one in the funny hat must have heard my stomach makin noises cause he discreetly handed me on of those apples that looked so good earlier. I found myself a nice position against the rocks and munched on the apple as I fell asleep. I had earned my rest today.

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YAY! She's finally part of the company! Though that's just the first step. *sigh* why must dwarves be so thick? Please review if you liked it or have any comments/suggestions! *squeals in delight* I am having way too much fun with this.


	5. Chapter 5: Off again

Yay! 200 veiws! I'm so excited! Thanks so much for those who are reviewing and following and all! I love getting feedback!(I'm sure most people do)

Well, time to see how Laurëel deals with these dwarves! I'll stop jabbering now and let you get to reading.

Disclaimer: I do not, unfortunately, own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie. Just Laurëel, the little bugger ;)

Enjoy!

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Laurëel didn't know exactly what she was expecting once she had finally joined the group, but it wasn't what she was experiencing. Not a sole talked to her the whole morning. Save the occasional, that's your pony, here's some food, sorry I need the bag your sitting on. It was much more pleasant when she was traveling behind them. That way she could be silent without feeling quite so awkward about it. Still, the food was delicious and having the pony doing the walking instead of herself made a world of difference. She didn't feel her best though. The previous days march had taken it's toll. It was harder to keep up on foot than Laurëel had first anticipated and now her muscles ached painfully. She also felt light headed, as though the world was a surreal dream. Her thigh was bruising slightly from all the times she had spent pinching it. A desperate attempt to not fall asleep in her saddle. All of the dwarves laughed and talked merrily during the ride, though not as much as the day before. The first day had felt like holiday. As if they were going out on a long pony ride. Now, it started to sink in that they were going on a very real, very dangerous quest. And some of them might not return. But it hadn't sunk in that much.

The dwarves presently seemed to be teasing each other, all in good fun of course. Laurëel debated whether or not to listen in. She felt as though she was intruding somehow. Eventually, she made the excuse to herself that she was just trying to figure out all their names. After listening for a little while, she concluded that it didn't help. There were just so many of them. And to make matters worse, most of them had rhyming names. One was named Dori, another Nori, and she wasn't sure if their was a third named Ori or if they were just not speaking clearly. Eventually, she just gave up. Relaxing in her saddle, her urgrosh bumped methodically against her lower back. She fell into the rhythm of the beat humming ever so quietly to herself, conjuring up a tune that turned and changed as frequently as the weather.

"What's that you're humming?" Someone asked, pulling up beside her. She turned to see Bilbo looking at her with honest interest.

"Just a little tune I learned." Laurëel shrugged. "It's used to summon the spirits of the dead." Bilbo looked at her in surprise. And, unknown to the girl, Gandalf's aged eyes turned to her as well.

"It what?" Bilbo asked, startled.

"I'm only jokin'." Laurëel laughed after a moment. "It's just somethin' I made up on the spot." More than one head turned when they heard Laurëel laugh. It was hearty and full of life. The kind of laugh that's infectious.

"What happened?" Bofur asked, a smile on his face.

"Nothin' nothin'." Laurëel chuckled, still laughing at the hobbit's bewildered face.

"I would not suggest making a joke of such powers." Gandalf spoke from farther ahead. Laurëel immediately fell silent. Kili and Fili both looked at her. They knew how she felt. "They are far beyond your understanding." He mused, still not looking back at the girl.

"I understand." Laurëel nodded solemnly before looking down again, resuming her silence. Bofur looked out of the corner of his eye at the silent lass.

"If you don't mind me askin'…" Bofur started, pulling his horse up next to Laurëel's "You don't look quite like a dwarf. But your mother was, right?" His funny hat bobbing as his pony walked steadily.

"Yeah…" Laurëel looked at the dwarf warily. "I'm only half dwarf."

"What was your father?" Kili asked; his interest piqued.

"Elf." Laurëel spat. Thorin glanced back briefly, as did many other members of the company.

"Paulina married an elf?" Bombor asked, shocked. Laurëel nodded gravely.

"That's why they just say she went missin'." The girl explained. "She was the nicest dwarf I've ever met. Bless 'er soul. But I never understood 'er taste in men." Several dwarves grumbled in understanding. All of them picturing how horrible it would be to have an _elf_ for a father.

"Well, what's you taste in men?" Kili asked, smirking slightly.

"Beards." Laurëel answered simply looking at Kili's stubble in disgust. The company burst into laughter. Fili clapped his brother on the back sympathetically, though he was shaking violently in silent laughter. Kili's face flushed in embarrassment.

"Well you don't have a beard either." He pointed out sullenly.

"Another curse from me dad's side." Laurëel frowned angrily. "Try as I might, I can't even get so much as some whiskers."

"It's alright lass." Bofur smiled. "You look fine without one."

"Thanks…" Laurëel started before realizing she didn't know the dwarf's name.

"Bofur." The dwarf offered.

"Thanks Bofur." Laurëel smiled to herself. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

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Yay! I get so happy for her! Anyway! See that little box right below here? VVVVV

There now you see it! It's a really cool little thing. You can type you thoughts into it a hit the 'Post Review' button, and I can read how you feel about the story! It's really awesome *hint hint* you should check it out *hint hint*

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting another chapter soon!


	6. Chapter 6: A little fall of rain

I apologize in advance for the short short chapter :( The timing just worked out that way. But, after this, they start getting a bit longer so just hang in there!

Thanks so much to those who have been reviewing and encouraging me! It really keeps me writing! ^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or the lines from the movie. It's a fanfiction, what did you expect?

Anyway, Please take some time to review! It really puts a smile on my face! Enjoy!

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"What kind of idiot came up with _water_ falling from the _SKY_!?" Laurëel shouted miserably. Gloin chuckled from under his hood.

"Not a fan of rain lass?" He asked the shivering girl.

"I… don't… like… being… wet." Laurëel said through chattering teeth.

"Don't you have a cloak?" Fili asked, feeling sympathetic towards the girl. "You'll freeze to death." Bilbo looked back at the lion-maned dwarf. The hobbit also had no cloak and _he_ wasn't getting any sympathy. Laurëel shook her head, her braids whipping around her head flinging droplets every which way.

"Next time…" Nori started. "Just say no."

"Sorry." Laurëel apologized before sneezing. _Uhoh_ she thought to herself _I better not catch a cold from this._

"Master Gandalf." Dori called up to the gray wizard, who, on the whole, seemed rather unaffected by the downpour. "Can't you do something about this deluge?"

"It is raining master dwarf." Gandalf replied simply. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Both Kili and Laurëel struck that as funny, and they chuckled despite the circumstances. Then they noticed the other also laughing and they immediately stopped and looked away. Fili raised an eyebrow at them, but neither noticed. And if they did, they chose not to respond.

"If you want to change the weather, I suggest you find yourself another wizard." Gandalf said curtly.

"Are there any?" Bilbo spoke up, causing Gandalf to look back in surprise. "Other wizards." The hobbit clarified. Laurëel perked up with interest.

"There are five." Gandalf started. "There is Saruman the white greatest of our order…" Laurëel didn't like the sound of his name. It sounded too much like one she had heard before in stories of ancient evils and battles. Sauron. "Then there are the two blue ones…" Gandalf paused, thinking for a moment. "You know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who's the fourth?" Bilbo asked, trying to hurry the elderly man along.

"That'd be Radagast the Brown." Gandalf said after he ceased trying to remember the names of the other two.

"Is he a great wizard?" Bilbo asked sourly. "Or is he… more like you?"

"Ouch." Laurëel hissed under her breath. Kili chuckled slightly despite himself.

"I think he's a very great wizard." Gandalf said defensively. "In his own way." He added quickly. "He prefers the company of animals to people. He keeps a watchful eye over the green wood, and a good thing too. For always will evil try to find a foothold in this world."

"It already has." Laurëel mumbled angrily.

"What do you mean?" Fili asked, hearing the young woman's grumbling. Laurëel looked at him for a long moment before speaking.

"Let's just say… It's one place I would advice avoiding." She said through clenched teeth.

"Why? What's there?" Kili asked curiously.

"I _don't _want to talk about it." Laurëel hissed through the rain, speeding up her pony to get away from the pestering brothers. The two looked at each other, both equally curious about the strange girl and her past.

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Sooooo? What did you think? Please let me know! And the next chapter will be longer! I promise!


	7. Chapter 7: The storm begins

Over 400 views! I'm SOOOO excited! Thank you all those who settled down to read this little story of mine! Thank you even more if you decide to take a few moments more and review it! I LOVE getting feedback, as I'm sure you all do too! This chapters a little longer to make up for the last one. Finally some Kili and Laurëel interaction! Though... not exactly what one would first expect ;) I'll let you read and find out.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the hobbit or the lines from the movie. Those belong to other, greater minds.

Please review! Enjoy!

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The days crawled past, one after another, after another. I quickly settled myself into this tiny group of oddballs and misfits. I soon found out that I wasn't as different from this group of fellers. Bifur especially was an absolute delight. Quiet, but always thinkin' 'bout this or that. It reminded me of my brother. Ah poor little Jayme. It had been so long since I had thought about him. But being with all these dwarves again reminded me of my twin brother, and me mum. Fili was an awful lot like Jayme. Though Fili talked more, and spent a lot of time lookin' out for his brother. Jayme would never look after me like that. Kili was lucky, havin' someone always watchin his back. I never knew that warmth. Not for a moment.

But I was gettin' along fine with everyone. Well, almost everyone. I still didn't talk to Oakensheild if I could avoid it, and that seemed to suit him just fine, cause he mostly ignored me too. And then there was Kili. What an obnoxious little person! I mean, sure, he's a good half a head taller than me, but he was so annoying! Practically lookin' for a fight everywhere he went! He seemed very spoiled too. Thorin seemed to favor him and his brother a lot. As did the rest of the dwarves, though not as much. I just couldn't figure out why everyone was treatin' em like royalty.

"My back is killin' me stone dead if I don't get out of this saddle soon." I complained one day.

"Aw, poor wee lass." Kili joked slightly. "Is a little horse ride too much for you?" I glared at him sharply, but apparently not sharp enough, for he just laughed gleefully.

"Maybe if you weren't such a coward we could let our blades do the talkin' and I could show you just what pain really is." I threatened. He looked a good bit startled after that, so I thought I put him in his place good and proper. But then he speaks again.

"I could knock you flat on your back before you could say uncle." He boasted. I hear some of the dwarves in the back round, but I'm not sure if they're teasin' him or cheerin' him on.

"Oh is that how it is?" I ask, feelin' my blood start boilin' a little. "Care to put that to the test?" I reach behind to grip my urgrosh. This gets quite a stir out of those watchin' the little exchange.

"No…" the young dwarf smirked. "I'd feel bad beating up a girl." That got me really angry.

"I'll make you chew those words and throw em up along with your innards when I'm through with you." That's what I said. And it seems quite gruesome now, but it was quite a pleasant thought if you compare it to what was really runnin' through my mind at the time. Lucky thing for Kili we were on ponies so I couldn't launch myself at him then and there.

"Hey now." Fili started, intervening at the last second. "Let's all just calm down a bit. It's been a long day and we could all use some rest and a break." _That's what I'd been sayin' all along!_ But I didn't say that out loud, I just turn away grumbling. Kili does the same, though I don't pay any attention to him.

"We make a camp here tonight!" Thorin calls out from the front. _Uncannily timed_. I grumble to myself. _More special treatment for the little baby. _"Oin, Gloin, get a fire started. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies." I dismounted my pony and took it over to a tree and tied the reigns up. I stroked the soft fur between its eyes sighin'.

"What a prat." I murmured to my trusty steed. "The way they treat him sometimes, it almost makes my think he is a prince." I stood there in silence for a moment, strokin' the pony rhythmically. Then I thought about what I just said and burst out laughin'.

"What is it?" Kili asks startled, makin' both of the ponies he's leadin' by the reigns whiney a little.

"Nothin' I just…" I started laughin' again, harder this time. I couldn't even look him in the eye. "I just had the most ridiculous idea ever heard!" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What is it?" Kili asked, unsure whether to be angry yet or not.

"Nothin' nothin'." I chuckle, finally catchin my breath. "You wouldn't find it funny." He just glowered at me and walked off with the ponies. As soon as he was out of earshot I bursted into giggles again. Then I fell silent as I heard Gandalf shout somethin' and storm off.

"Myself, Mister Baggins!" he called one last time before he disappeared into the woods.

"Come one Bombor, we're all starving!" Thorin called out from a ruined farmhouse. Bombor grumbled and started workin' on dinner.

"Will he be coming back?" Bilbo asked, lookin' very alarmed. He got no response from any of the dwarves. Then Bofur came up to me.

"Do you know how too cook lassie?" he asked innocently. I looked at him as if he had sprouted too heads.

"No." I replied in disgust.

"Well, Bombor will teach ya if you like." Bofur offered with a smile. "Gotta make your husband happy some day." He winked at me. I know he was just tryin' to get Bombor some help, but I took serious offense.

"The only way I'll be makin' any _husband_ of mine happy is given him nice dead orc heads to decorate his home with." Dwalin and Balin laughed at this heartily, while Dori paled. Bofur looked at me for a moment before noddin' and droppin' the subject. I crossed my arms with determination. No one was eatin' my cookin' not ever. Not even the royal baby Kili himself. I stomped off from the campfire then, once I was far enough away, slapped myself. What had I just been thinkin'? Of course that dwarf wasn't eatin' any cookin' of mine, but why did he pop into my head first off anyway? Had he been annoying me that much? I sighed and swung up quickly into a tree, over lookin' the little field where the ponies grazed happily. Then I noticed I couldn't see Daisy anywhere. I counted them quickly and gasped. Bungo wasn't there either. We were missin' two of the ponies.

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Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn... ^-^ yeah, I'm sure you all know what happens next, but it's fun to leave it at a cliff hanger anyway.

Please share you thoughts in the little white box below! It makes me very very happy!


	8. Chapter 8: The fire in the distance

Okay! Next chapter! Here we go! I'm really excited to start this chain of events! Please review and tell me what you think of it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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"He's been gone awhile now." Bilbo fretted, looking up at the night sky.

"Who?" Bofur asked pouring ladles of soup into bowls.

"Gandalf." Bilbo clarified, who else could he have been talking about? "He will be coming back, won't he?"

"He's a wizard." Bofur shrugged. "He comes and goes as he chooses." The carefree dwarf scooped up a bowl in either hand. "Take this to the lads for me, will ya?" Bilbo sighed as he grabbed the bowls and made his way over to where the ponies were being kept. He walked in between the two brothers and handed them both a bowl. They didn't move. Bilbo looked up in confusion to see them both standing in silent horror at the ponies. Laurëel stood next to them, arms crossed in agitation.

"Is something the matter?" Bilbo asked hesitantly. He wasn't quite sure he actually wanted to know.

"We're supposed to be watching the ponies." Kili started, still not looking at the hobbit. Laurëel snorted at this. Bilbo looked at her for an explanation, but she remained silent, glaring at the two brothers.

"But now we've encountered a… slight problem." Fili inhaled deeply.

"There's supposed to be sixteen ponies…" Kili puzzled.

"Now there's…" Fili breathed out. "Fourteen."

"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Laurëel clarified, heading off into the forest, the other three following behind her.

"Well, that's not good." Bilbo stated in alarm. "And that is not good at all!" The four came up too an up rooted tree, a massive one. "Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" the hobbit asked, getting really concerned now.

"Ah… best not to bother him." Fili said, looking at the tree closely. Laurëel rolled her eyes and sighed.

"We thought, as our expert burglar, you might look into it." Kili suggested. The female dwarf turned to glare at the younger brother who quickly looked away.

"Well… It looks like something big uprooted that tree." Bilbo started, examining the tree.

"That was our thinking." Fili agreed, prodding the hobbit on.

"You don't say." Laurëel grumbled to herself.

"Something big, and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo elaborated. Laurëel looked up in alarm.

"Look." She hissed, motioning for the others to crouch down behind the log. "There's a light over there." The four peered through the trees at the little patch of light. It was a campfire. A big one too.

"What is it?" Bilbo whispered to the others.

"Trolls." Kili growled. "Come on." The two brothers jumped to their feet and raced closer, Laurëel and a bowl carrying Bilbo right behind them. Suddenly, they dashed behind a large tree. Laurëel pulled Bilbo behind one as well, almost causing him to spill the soup. A large lump troll crashed into view, a panicking pony tucked under each arm.

"He's got Myrtle and Minty!" Bilbo hissed to the others. "We've got to do something!"

"Yes." Kili looked up, an idea sprung into his mind. "Yes you should!"

"What, me?" Bilbo squeaked.

"Trolls are so slow and stupid and you're so small! They'll never see you." Kili reassured Bilbo as he quietly relieved a bowl from his grasp. "It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you." He nodded. Laurëel looked at him, astonished.

"If you get into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl." Fili said, grabbing his bowl from the hobbit and pushing him past the trees. Laurëel opened her mouth to protest, but one of the brothers put a hand to her mouth and herded her quickly away from the poor hobbit.

"Twice like a barn owl, twice like a brown owl… once like a… Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bilbo turned around to see empty wilderness behind him. He was on his own. Helplessly, he turned and started toward the fire. He jumped as a deep voice boomed into his ears.

"Mutton today, mutton yesterday, and blimey if it don't look like mutton tomorrow."

"This ain't sheep!" Another boomed, as he set down Myrtle and Minty in the crude fence. "This is west nag." Bilbo gulped. This wasn't going to be easy.

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Awww, poor Bilbo :(. It's okay, don't be scared of the big, giant, flesh eating trolls. Anyway... Please review so I can know if you liked it or not! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9: The Trolls

Woohoo! 500 views! A quick thank you to Applejack456, Dragon flam, and Telekinesis Fae Flamingsword for their continued support of my little story!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie. Laurëel is all mine though.

Please review and enjoy the ride!

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"You idiots!" I hissed at the brothers as soon as they had released me. They both looked back at me startled, as they shoveled soup into their mouths. "How could you be so selfish and dim witted?"

"Well what else were we going to do?" Kili asked defensively, his mouth full.

"Tell Thorin!" I order, I'd have thought it was the obvious thing to do.

"He'll have our hides if he finds out we lost four of the ponies." Fili shook his head, before takin' another bite.

"Those trolls are goin' to have Bilbo's hide if we don't do somthin'!" I pointed out, gettin' very angry. The two brothers looked at each other guiltily, but I was much too angry to notice.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Kili asked, gettin' defensive. I sighed in exasperation.

"I'm goin' to go save him." I declared turnin' towards the fire again. "You two" I look over my shoulder at the brothers. "Are goin' to go tell Thorin." I didn't look back to see if they did so, I was too focused onto what lay ahead of me. And as I come to the bushes just outside the clearing, I find out what. Sittin' around a large fire, are three huge, gray, nasty lookin' trolls. I tried not to cough as their smell hit me. They were disgusting! I was certain I had never smelled anything so foul in my life. I started breathin' through my mouth; cause the smell isn't quite so bad that way. Then I spot Bilbo on the far side by the ponies. He was sneakin' up behind one of them, crawlin' on his hand and knees. Suddenly, one of the trolls hit the one Bilbo was hiding behind, makin' the big thing fall backwards hollerin' loudly.

"That's _my_ grog!" One of them yelled. The other sat back up, rubbin' his jaw pathetically. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that Bilbo hadn't been smushed. But my relief quickly dissipates when I see the little hobbit get grabbed by the weasely troll and… ew.

"Bert! Bert, look what's come out of me 'ooter!" The one cried, snot still cling from his nose to Bilbo. "It's got arms and legs and everything." I tried my hardest not to puke. I couldn't imagine how Bilbo felt.

"What is it?" Bert asked, peerin' at the hobbit.

"I don't know." Replied the other. "But I don't like the way it wiggles around." I winced as Bilbo got roughly tossed to the ground like an apple that just got a worm found in it. The third troll quickly pulled a knife on the hobbit before I could make a move.

"What are you then?" the knife weildin' one asked, pokin' the hobbit in the chest. "An oversized squibble?"

"No I'm a burglar." Bilbo started, and then caught himself. "Hobbit."

"A burglarhobbit?" a troll asked, confused.

"Can we eat him?" another asked. Bilbo looked up in alarm and I grabbed my urgrosh firmly.

"We can try!" The weasley one grinned before swipin' a massive hand towards Bilbo who ducked quickly. I charge in, swingin' my urgrosh at the leg of one, but I just get lifted into the air by my feet as another troll picks up Bilbo.

"There's another one of em too!" Bert smiles. "But they wouldn't make more than a mouthful once their skinned and boned." I mouthed the word 'sorry' to Bilbo, but I didn't know if he saw it.

"Tell me, are there any more of you burglarhobbits hiding were you don't belong?" the knife one asks.

"No." Bilbo said lookin' around frantically. I also nodded my head, but I stopped quickly as I realize all the blood has been rushin' down.

"They're lying." The weasel like one said shrewdly. "Hold their toes over the fire. Make them squeal!" Bilbo and I looked at each other in terror. I didn't know what to do. I'd never fought such large things before. I could deck half a dozen orcs no problem. But a troll? I'd never seen somethin' so massive. And three of them? I'd be eaten tonight for sure. My neck snapped violently as the troll holdin' me shrieked in pain.

"Drop them!" Bilbo and I looked over in surprise to see Kili turnin' to face all three trolls at once, his sword brandished at the ready.

"You what?" one of the trolls asked in surprise.

"I said, drop them." Kili repeated. The trolls growled and threw Bilbo and I at him. We both crash into him and we all go sprawlin' on the ground. I looked up quickly, ready to see the trolls on us in an instant, but instead I saw lots of dwarves pourin' out from the bushes lettin' out battle cries and hollerin' like a pack of animals. They all started hackin' away at the large monsters, which tried desperately to fight back, but the slow things found themselves quickly overwhelmed.

"Will you get off of me already?" I hear Kili ask. I looked down in surprise to see Kili underneath me. I rolled of quickly in surprise before grabbin' my weapon and standin' up to go help. "You're heavier than you look." The dwarf gasped, standing up and retrieving his own sword.

"You're no fairy princess yourself." I snapped back, feelin' annoyed. I usually wouldn't mind someone makin' fun of my weight. Usually people joke that I'm too light. But when Kili says it, it makes me very angry for some reason. Then I felt my face gettin' a bit hot, so I turned away quickly and joined the fight. We were winnin' I could tell. The dwarf half of me just sees everything fallin' into place around me. All the dwarves were matchin' their breathin' with one another. And their movements synced up smoothly, the trolls didn't stand a chance. Then everyone freezes.

"Lay down your arms!" One of the trolls commanded as I looked around in confusion. "Or we'll rip his off." I clench my teeth as I see the trolls holding Bilbo in the air. The poor hobbit looked like a frightened rabbit caught in a snare.

"Bilbo!" Kili shouted starting forward.

"No." Thorin ordered, stopping him with one arm. Everyone turned silent. All eyes peered at the leader of the dwarves, waitin' to see what he would do. After what seemed like forever, Thorin dropped his sword. And so, I followed suit like the other dwarves around me. We had lost.

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"Noooo! What are they gonna do now? How will they survive? You can't have Laurëel die!" I bet you're sounding something like that right about now. Well... maybe not. Oh! new idea! Review with the first thought that popped into your head once you finished reading the chapter, and I'll count how many people started thinking about what they were going to eat for dinner! Because I know I was when I finished writing it.


	10. Chapter 10: Dinner by the fire

I got dizzy writing this chapter. I've been really busy, but I just wanted to get this up here real quick before the day begins.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie.

Please enjoy and review!

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Laurëel tugged on the ropes that bound her to the large spit. The heat from the fire was terrible, then, as she started spinning upwards again, it got cooler, only to get turned around towards the bottom again. Half of the other dwarves grumbled and complained around her as the other half was stuck into sacks and thrown roughly in a pile. So hot. Oh, better now.

"Let's sit on em one by one, and squash them into jelly!" She heard one of the trolls suggest. Hot.

"Naw, they should be salted! With a nice sprinkle of sage." Said on the right of the spit.

"That does sound quite nice." The first agreed, smiling toothily. Hot.

"Just don't make it take all night!" The one to the left complained. Laurëel looked around to see where they had put her urgrosh and spotted it tossed to the ground far away from the fire and the sacks. "I don't fancy being turned to stone." The girl's eyes darted towards the troll in surprise. Stone? Well that's surprisingly convenient. Hot.

"Wait!" Bilbo cried out, wriggling to his feet. "You are making, a _terrible_ mistake." All heads turned in his direction. Or tried to anyway, Laurëel was just turning to the far side of the spit away from the Halfling.

"You can't reason with them! They're halfwits!" Dori shouted from somewhere on the spit.

"Halfwits? Then what does that make us?" Bofur asked from somewhere else. Laurëel didn't know if the dwarf was joking or dead serious. You never could tell with him.

"I mean with the uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo continued. Laurëel looked at the hobbit incredulously as she came around. What was he doing?

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" The left troll asked angrily.

"Be quiet and let the flugaburburahobbit talk." The right one said, leaning closer towards Bilbo. The small hobbit bowed his head slightly in thanks. Then Laurëel was turned away again. Hot. "Now, what about the seasoning?"

"Well, the secret to cooking dwarf is…" Bilbo started realizing what he was just saying.

"Yes? Tell us the secret." The troll urged anxiously.

"Yes, yes, I'm _telling you_." Bilbo said, obviously stalling for time. "The secret is toooo… Skin them first!" Bilbo said quickly. The dwarves yelled at him angrily making furious threats at the frazzled hobbit.

"Are you trying to kill us in the most awful way possible?" Laurëel asked angrily, straining against her bonds. Hot.

"Tom?" The right troll said. "Hand me my filleting knife."

"What a load of rubbish!" the left troll spat, still spinning the spit. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on! Boots and all!"

"You're right." the third agreed. "Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" He clomped over to the pile of sacks and picked up Bombor by his feet, hanging the terrified dwarf over his open mouth.

"Not that one! He's infected!" Bilbo shouted quickly. Both the dwarf and the troll turned to look at the hobbit. "He's got worms in his… tubes!" Bilbo scrambled. The troll shrieked and dropped the dwarf quickly. Bombor landed heavily back on the pile. "In fact they all do." Bilbo continued. "Nasty business really, I wouldn't risk it." Laurëel looked at him, confused. Was he trying to do what she thought he was?

"Is he saying we have parasites?" Oin asked, hearing something correctly for the first time in his life.

"We don't have parasites!" Kili shouted indignantly. Bilbo sighed as the group once again burst into insults.

"Shut it!" Laurëel hissed as, simultaneously, Thorin gave a hard kick to those in the sacks. Everyone went quiet for a second before Kili looked from his uncle to Bilbo.

"I've got huge parasites!" the young dwarf shouted. Everyone else started catching on.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin shouted.

"We're riddled!" Dori added. "Yes we are." And other such comments filled the air until the right troll's voice boomed over them.

"So what would you have us do?" He turned to Bilbo. "Let them all go?"

"Well…" Bilbo started, implying that they should.

"You think I don't know what your up too. You little ferret!" The dwarf prodded Bilbo with his knife. Laurëel tried gasping for breath. The troll had left the spit with Laurëel at the bottom, and it was getting rather toasty down there.

"Ferret?" Bilbo asked indignantly.

"He's making fools of us!" The troll stood up again.

"Fools?" another troll frowned. Laurëel's skin started feeling half boiled as she tried desperately for fresh air. The heat made it difficult. She was hardly aware of the figure coming to stand on the large boulder behind the scene.

"Dawn take you all!" It shouted.

"Who's that?" One troll asked.

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?" The figure brought his staff down on the stone splitting it in two with a deafening crack. Sunlight poured through the opening and the trolls started squealing and crying out until they hardened into solid stone. The dwarves cheered immensely as Bilbo sighed with relief.

"Gandalf." The small man smiled, as the wizard started freeing the ensnared dwarves.

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Yay! They are free! So happy! Please review! I love getting feedback!


	11. Chapter 11: The troll hoard

Woohoo! I'm very happy! You can probably tell ^-^ This is one of my longer chapters so far. Hope you enjoy it! And please review! It makes me so happy when you do!

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie. :(

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Laurëel lay flat on her back, her urgrosh back in her hand where it belonged. She smiled contentedly. She was never letting go of it again. The birds chirped harmoniously around her as the dwarves begrudgingly found their clothes and weapons and reassembled their exteriors. Bifur found it a bit more challenging than most. Laurëel inhaled deeply and rolled to her feet, looking around anxiously. She saw whom she was searching for across the clearing, sheathing his sword. She got up and made her way over, trying not to look to conspicuous. Kili looked up at the sound of footfalls and immediately frowned.

"What do you want?" He asked the girl. Laurëel frowned back.

"What's with that face?" she retorted angrily. "Why do you assume that whatever I'm about to say is bad?"

"Because it probably is." Kili looked at Laurëel, eyebrows furrowed. Laurëel growled in frustration. "It's really a shame you're so grumpy all the time. It's a waste to have a face like yours always looking so sour."

"What?" Laurëel asked, not quite sure if she had heard right. Kili sighed and spoke louder, looking straight at her this time.

"I said it's a shame for such a beautiful girl so be so grumpy!" Then his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Laurëel's tanned cheeks turn pink. Kili's mind finally caught up with his mouth and he too blushed before quickly turning away.

"Did you just…" Laurëel started, still not believing her ears. Kili started cackling.

"You didn't really believe that did you?" He turned around, laughing hard.

"What?" Laurëel asked, really confused now.

"It was a joke. A joke!" Kili clarified, making sure she heard it this time. "Who would actually think you were beautiful? What a laugh." Now Laurëel turned red, not out of embarrassment, but anger. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists. She stood on the spot, trembling with rage.

"You… you knucklehead!" She shouted, causing more than one head to look in their direction. "Why are you always so thick?" Kili's laughter stopped immediately, and he looked at the young woman wide eyed. "You can never let anything go right, can you? And to think!" She started, getting a little hysterical. "And to think I was about to thank_ you _for saving _me_! What an idiot I was!"

"Wait, you were going to…" Kili started, astonished.

"Forget it!" Laurëel snapped, turning on her heel. "My words are wasted on an _idiot_ like you!" She walked away fuming, leaving a baffled Kili behind her.

"Smooth, little brother." Fili chuckled, patting Kili on the shoulder sympathetically. "Real smooth." Kili sighed, deflating. Why did she have to get angry so quickly?

"Why does he always know just how to get on my nerves?" Laurëel vented aloud to her pony. The girl plopped down with a sigh. She was suddenly so very aware of how tired she was. It occurred to Laurëel that she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. "I was too busy gettin' roasted alive." She muttered to herself. A movement in the bushes removed her from her thoughts. Bombor stepped into the clearing. Laurëel stood up and moved her hand away from her weapon, which she had grabbed on reflex.

"Sorry to startle you." Bombor apologized, looking around awkwardly. "I just wanted to let you know that some of the lads are looking for the troll's cave. In case you wanted to join them."

"Is Kili going?" Laurëel asked eyes narrowed.

"I don't think so." Bombor nodded, somewhat confused.

"Count me in then." Laurëel sighed, headed back towards the others.

The cave, once they found it, was foul beyond belief. Laurëel covered her nose quickly, but it did little good to keep out the putrid odor. Bones of the trolls less recent meals crunched under Laurëel's feet as she and the others made their way down the slight incline and into the cave.

"It smells awful!" Laurëel complained through pinched nose.

"Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned as he started towards the back. Bofur looked down in surprise as his foot landed on something other than ground.

"Seems a shame to leave all this gold lying around." He mused, brushing gold coins with his foot. "Anyone could take it."

"Agreed." Gloin looked up, a strange glint in his eye. "Nori. Get a shovel." Laurëel headed farther towards the back with Thorin and Gandalf. A row of weapons lined the back, the blades covered in thick webs and dust. While the two older men stopped to examine the weapons, Laurëel looked further. The cave didn't go much farther than that, and it stunk the worst back there, but something caught the girl's eye. She strode over to it, trying to crush as few bones as possible. Upon reaching the point that had caught her eye, she crouched to the ground and brushed away some leaves, at least she hoped they were leaves, with the back of her hand. Her fingers closed around a cold, smooth surface.

It's edges fine and curved. She held the trinket close to her face and saw that it was a pendant; the loop that would have connected it to a chain had been bent and twisted. But other than that, it was in perfectly good shape. Well, maybe a little polishing wouldn't hurt. The pendant itself was shaped like a crescent moon, the points fine and serene. At the widest part of the sliver of medal, was a bluish green gem. The smooth gemstone looked like a drop of water, frozen and laid into the silver metal. Laurëel narrowed her eyes as she flipped it over. There was some type of writing on the back, but she was not familiar with that language.

"Come on Bofur, Gloin, we're leaving." Thorin called to the dwarves as he headed towards the mouth of the cave. Laurëel stood up quickly, slipping the pendant into her boot as she rose. _A pocket might be useful_. She thought to herself as she passed Gandalf on the way out. He must have also spied something, because he was staring at the ground curiously. Laurëel took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she made it outside.

"What's it like in there?" Ori asked curiously. Laurëel looked at the youngest dwarf startled. She had never really held a conversation with the young scribe before… he seemed a little scared of her actually.

"Stinky." Laurëel answered truthfully, bluntly, and simply.

"Ah." Ori nodded before quickly turning away. Apparently he'd had enough of the smell of troll for one day. Laurëel didn't blame him.

"I can't take this." Laurëel turned to see Bilbo trying to hand a small sword back to Gandalf.

"It is of elvish make. Which means, it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby." Gandalf informed the hobbit, trying to convince him.

"I have never used a sword in my life." Bilbo confessed, looking up at the wizard helplessly.

"And I hope you never have to!" Gandalf nodded. "But remember, true courage is not when to take a life, but when to spare it." Laurëel looked at the wizard, mystified by his words. What did that mean? Then she turned around in alarm as a dwarf shouted out a warning. There was someone coming.

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Who could it be? Yeah, I know. Such fake tension since you all know who it's going to be anyway. Soon, I'm going to have to just putting one chapter up a day. I've been getting rather busy. Anyway, please review if you've got a moment! It's really encouraging to my muses.


	12. Chapter 12: The wizard in brown

Yay! Next chapter! Man, I am SO EXCITEEEEED!

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie. I'm not _that_ smart.

Please review and enjoy!

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I clenched my urgrosh tightly in both hands. As did the rest of the company came crashin' through the bushes. I peered through the underbrush, but what ever it was, it was moving quickly and it didn't have any commonly identifiable shape to it. But there was one thing I could tell. It was coming closer. I nearly jumped out of my skin as a large brown mass came hurtlin' into the clearin'.

"Thief! Fire! Murder!" The thing shouted in alarm. I was very confused and I had not realized that in the shock I had dropped my guard. Then I saw what it was. A mousy brown fellow in tattered brown robes, and a hat that was even funnier than Bofur's, stood clutching to a wooden sleigh. About a dozen large wild hares sat, tied to the front of the sleigh, scratching their ears our twitching their noses.

"Radagast!" Gandalf cried from the back. I looked behind me to see the gray wizard smiling as he stepped forward. "Radagast the Brown. What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked, his smile slipping away as he gave Radagast a queer eye.

"I was looking for you Gandalf!" Radagast quipped, his voice unusually high for a man of his age. "There's a…" the brown wizard thought for a moment started to speak, then stopped again. "Ohhh, there was a thought and then I lost it!" he fretted, "It was right there! On the tip of my tongue! Oh… it's not a thought at all!" He looked up and Gandalf and opening his mouth slightly. "It's a silly old stick insect." Gandalf grabbed the leg of the long twiggy bug and dropped it into the brown wizards palm. I tilted my head to one side, thoroughly confused. The two wizards made their way off to talk alone. I started to follow them at a distance, but Balin stopped me, shaking his head and smiling sympathetically. I just pouted and walked off. I flopped down, exhausted on the ground. I really needed to get some sleep before I fell over. Fili sat down on a large rock next to me. I sighed, and looked over at the blonde haired dwarf.

"What do you want?" I asked, eyes barely focusing on the elder brother.

"You and my little brother don't seem to get along." He started, tryin' to handle it with tact.

"He starts it." I replied defensively.

"But you don't try to stop it." Fili pointed out lightly. I looked into the dwarf's blue eyes for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. Then I let out a resigning sigh and looked away.

"You're right. As usual." I said, settin' my chin on my knee.

"As usual?" He asked, somewhat confused. I chuckled to myself as a realized what I had just said,

"I once had a twin brother. Jayme." I started. Fili stared at me, fearin' that if he moved I would get angry again. "He would always scold me for my temper. And when I would point out why I did it, he would always come up with some reason why I could have been wrong. So I would always say to him 'you're right. As usual.' Then we would laugh and he would drag me to whoever I had wronged and he made me apologize." I sighed. "You remind me a lot of him. Although, he was a lot taller than you. And his beard was much shorter. But his eyes…" I looked back at Fili. "His eyes were the same as yours. Sparklin' and happy."

"What happened to him? If you don't mind my asking?" Fili added on quickly.

"He was killed. Killed by an elf who had discovered us hiding by their home. We had been stealin' from their kitchens to survive. When they found us, Jayme fought back. So they killed him." Fili looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, feelin' bad for bringin' it up.

"I don't understand it!" I said, annoyed.

"What?" Fili asked, confused.

"Why does everyone feel compelled to say sorry? It's not like they're at fault or nothin'!" I stomped my foot, or tried too. It was hard since I was sittin' down.

"Probably because they don't know what else to say." Fili guessed, thinkin' about what I had just said.

"Oh." I snorted. "I guess that makes sense." Fili nodded. I looked back at him as he kept starin' at me.

"What?" I asked him suspiciously. He nodded his head over to his left. I followed his motion to see Kili talkin' with Gloin a bit ways off. I looked back at Fili and sighed.

"You really are like Jayme." I rolled my eyes. Fili laughed at this before standin' and walkin' off. I looked back over at the younger brother and heaved a sigh again. Then I straightened my back and walked over. Kili did a double take as he saw me walkin' over.

"What is it?" He asked warily. I glared at him for a long moment before takin' in a deep breathe and sayin'.

"I would like to apologize for yellin' at you earlier. That was uncalled for and I should have been more considerate of the feelin's of a fellow traveler." My words felt stiff, but at least I said them. I saw Kili relax after I finished.

"I'm sorry too." He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess I've been kind of rude towards you lately. I keep forgetting you're a girl."

"Bein' a girl has nothin' to do with it!" I cried indignantly. He looked up suddenly tense again. "If I was a boy, you wouldn't be wantin' to insult me either. It's called havin' respect."

"I know that!" Kili said defensively. We both sighed.

"We're never goin' to get along, are we?" I ask glumly.

"Probably not." He shrugged. We both stood there for a moment before burstin' out laughin'. Dori looked over at us in surprise at our sudden change of tone.

"Maybe you aren't so bad after all." I grinned at the dark haired dwarf.

"Same to you!" Kili smirked at me. Then his eyes lightened with an idea. He held his arm up like he was about to arm-wrestle someone. "I'll watch your back if you watch mine?" He asked, grinnin'.

"Deal." I agreed, graspin' his hand in mine. We released our grip after a second, both unsure what to do next. Those wizards were talkin' an awfully long time. Then everyone looks up as an unearthly howl bounces around the trees.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked no one in particular. "Are there wolves out here?" He asked again.

"No, that was no wolf." Bofur nodded ominously. We all looked up as a shadow looms down from the top of the hill.

"Kili!" Thorin shouted, but Kili was way ahead of him. The dwarven archer had knocked an arrow and let it fly at the chargin' warg. The massive beast tumbled down the hill, only to get finished off by Dwalin's large axe.

"That was a scout. Which means an orc pack will not be far behind." Thorin scowled.

"Orc pack?" the hobbit repeated nervously.

"Who did you tell of your quest? Beyond your kin." Gandalf asked the dwarf king.

"No one." Thorin promised.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf barked again.

"No one! I swear!" Thorin repeated. "What in Durin's name is going on here?" "We have to get out of here. Quickly." A voice spoke up.

"We can't." Ori shouted as heads turned to him. "We have no ponies! They bolted." The company let out collective groans.

"I'll provide a diversion, draw them off." Radagast offered. Everyone turned to him in surprise; they had forgotten he was even there.

"These are Gundabad wargs!" Gandalf turned to him. "They will out run you!"

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits!" Radagast pointed over his shoulder, smirking roguishly. "I'd like to see them try."

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WOOHOO! Go RADAGAST! Man I love that little wizard! Woah, I almost typed wittle lizard by accident. That wouldn't make any sense.

Anyway... Please review! I love the feedback!


	13. Chapter 13: Orc Pack

Hey everyone! 1000 views! Woohooooo! I've started getting some reviews(Thank You! Those who did!) mentioning that my story was getting a little dry. I'm going to try to fix that! Thank you for reading this far! Your support is really really encouraging!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie.

Enjoy!

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Grishk stalked forward after the others. His warg's muscles moved powerfully beneath him as the pack narrowed in on the dwarves. It had been a long chase, but they had finally caught up with the filth. Two rider less wargs started forward into the forest. Then, a huge clamor of snarling and shouting erupted from the brush. A large sleigh dashed out of the woods a little ways down, weaving into the rocks.

"Come and Get me!" A little man shouted, laughing merrily. Grishk and his kin snarled angrily and charged after the fresh meat. The dwarves could wait. The younger orc snarled angrily. Why did he have to be in the back? Once the others caught the prey, it would already be nothing but bones by the time he caught up. He kicked his warg hard, urging it to move faster. But he quickly yanked the warg to the side as two of his fellow orcs came tumbling past him. He streaked past the low rock that had felled them. This prey was tricky. He was still far away from the little man and his rabbits. Nice, juicy rabbits. Grishk licked his lips hungrily. They would be tasty. He kicked his warg again, forcing it into an uncontrollable sprint. He curved wide around a large boulder, his warg's paws scrambling frantically to catch up. Then, he veered slightly, slowing as the rest of his pack streamed by. He sniffed the air and pushed his warg forward. He smelled dwarf. Lots of them.

Laurëel held her breath as the sharp sound of claws scraped over the boulder she now hid behind. She looked around at her companions. All had the same silent look of a prey about to be found. The orc and warg both sniffed the air. They knew something was up. Laurëel looked over to see Thorin give Kili a small nod. The young archer looked down to regulate his breathing as she slowly leased an arrow from his quiver. Smoothly, the dark haired dwarf fitted the arrow to the string and moved away from the rock, spinning around and firing an arrow into the warg's hide. The orc let out a cry of surprise and quickly raised a horn to his lips, but another arrow smacked into his shoulder and both rider and steed tumbled off the boulder. As soon as they touched the ground, dwarves quickly surrounded them, finishing them off… loudly. Laurëel winced at the silence of their surroundings. The wargs had stopped snarling, the pounding of feet ceased. An orcish shout confirmed her fears. They had been located.

"This way!" Gandalf ordered. "Run!" the company charged after Gandalf, following the wizard blindly as the howls of the wargs started again. This time, heading towards them. Laurëel's heart beat widely, threatening to burst from her chest as she charged down the large grassy hill. Grasses reached up and scratched her bare arms as she charged through them heedlessly. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted green shapes reaching into the sky. Pine trees started to dot the landscape as they charged forward. She looked around franticly for the rest of the company, feeling relieved to see movement of dwarves among the trees. She redirected her course slightly to meet up with them again. Then, Laurëel noticed the dwarves slowing their pace as they came to a wide clearing with a crop of rocks in the center.

"There's more coming!" Kili shouted, leaping through the grasses back towards them.

"We're surrounded!" Someone shouted. The dwarves closed their ranks, turning outward to the oncoming wargs. Blood pumped in Laurëel's ears as she looked towards the enemy. People were shouting orders but the girl couldn't make them out, the adrenaline was overwhelming. A warg charged from her left and she brought her urgrosh around, felling the creature to the ground. She started backing up as more of the beasts closed in. Out of the corner of her eye, Laurëel spotted a pebble flying towards the closest warg only to bounce of harmlessly. Gandalf shouted something above the din. Laurëel turned to look at the wizard before turning back to fend of another snarling mass. An arrow twanged across the plain, impaling itself in an orc approaching Laurëel's back. She looked back towards where it came to see Kili quickly nock another arrow and fire it.

"Kili! Laurëel!" Thorin's voice rang into her ears. Laurëel looked over towards the dwarven king to see that he was standing alone by the rocks. Everyone else was gone. She looked back at the approaching army before sprinting off towards the rocks. She spotted Kili jump… into the rocks? _There must be a cave_ she concluded sprinting towards it. Thorin stabbed another warg that had charged him as he waited for the girl to make it over. Laurëel neared, now spotted the opening. She launched her self towards the opening, only to cry out in pain as an arrow lodged itself in her calf. She tripped and tumbled headfirst into the wide opening. Thorin followed right after her. Laurëel slid to a stop of the hard earth. She clutched her calf painfully, gritting her teeth together hard. Kili and Bofur rushed to the girls side and quickly dragged her farther from the opening, unknowing when the enemy would start pouring in. Then they heard the sound of a horn and the noises of battle began. Orcs and wargs cried out alike above. The dwarves looked up, horrified, until an orc fell into the hole. It was stone dead with an arrow embedded in its chest. Thorin pulled it out and examined the point.

"Elves." He spat, throwing the shaft to the ground in disgust. Then he turned in surprise as Laurëel let out a cry of pain. Oin had just pulled out the arrow with a sharp yank, and then began applying pressure, trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Did you have to pull so hard?" Laurëel asked through gritted teeth. Oin ignored the question.

"It's alright lassie." Bofur tried to comfort. "Oin is a skilled healer, he'll patch you up in the blink of an eye."

"We don't have that long." Thorin growled, getting more and more anxious of the battle happening above them.

"I can't see where the pathway leads!" Dwalin shouted from farther down. "Do we follow it or no?" He asked turning to the others.

"Follow it of course!" Bofur yelled back, helping Laurëel too her feet as Oin finished tying the makeshift bandage to her leg.

"I think that would be wise." Gandalf murmured to himself. Bilbo looked at him suspiciously. Bofur supported Laurëel as much as he could, but, as the path grew tighter and tighter; they were forced into single file. Laurëel was thankful somewhat for the close walls as she used them for support, trying to keep off her injured leg as much as possible.

"Are you alright?" Kili asked from behind her.

"Don't start acting worried." Laurëel hissed through her teeth as she touched her foot to the floor for an instant. "It doesn't suit you." She looked back at the young archer with a smile before focusing once again on moving forward. Kili laughed at her remark.

"I guess you can't be that injured if you can still insult me." He chuckled, following behind the girl.

"Well, it's not very difficult." Laurëel pointed out, hoping forward a bit before catching her balance on the wall again. Kili chuckled again. Then they both looked up in surprise as they came to an opening. Light poured into their faces as they looked out at the breath taking sight. Kili quickly moved to support the injured girl as she moved away from the wall. He sighed in relief that she didn't fight his help for once. But then his attention moved to the sight in front of his eyes. Gandalf spoke up from behind them in some elven tongue.

"The valley of the Elves. It is also known by another name." Gandalf smiled.

"Rivendell." Bilbo whispered, by far the most awestruck one in the group.

"So this was your plan." Thorin turned to the wizard. "To seek refuge with our enemy?" Laurëel looked over at the two older men who glared at each other.

"You have no enemies here." Gandalf retorted. "The only ill will to be found here is that which you bring yourself." Laurëel turned away, smirking slightly.

"You think they will give our quest their blessing?" Thorin said, turning back to the wizard. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course! But we have questions that need to be answered and wounds that need to be dealt with." Laurëel felt Thorin's eyes boring angrily into her back. "If this is to be handled correctly it will need to be done with skill, and tact. And no small degree of charm." The wizard warned. "Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

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Yay! what fun what fun, I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Please review with comments or suggestions or just random fangirling cause everyone needs to do that once in awhile ;)! Yay!


	14. Chapter 14: The hidden valley

Safety at last! Yay! So very excited! Thanks to those supporting me! Please review! I love the feedback!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie.

Enjoy!

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I looked around in wonder at the beautiful scenery around me as the company crossed over the long bridge to Rivendell's 'Front porch'. The view was breath taking and I felt as though I would be lost in the peaceful environment. I was very glad to have Kili supportin' me across the bridge though. It was very narrow, and spray from the waterfalls made the smooth stone frighteningly frictionless. Would it kill those elves to put in handrails? I thought to myself. But everyone made it over in one piece, much to my surprise. A graceful elf appeared at the top of a long set of stairs which was the only other way to leave the platform on which we stood. He looked graceful and serene. And the way he carried himself, I assumed that he must be the King of this place.

"Mithrandir!" He called out a greeting. I was confused at what he said as wondered if he was speakin' elvish. But, Gandalf answered, so I just decided to let the wizard handle it. I was startin' to feel tired again, realizin' that I had not only stayed up all night, but I had run miles across grassy hills _and_ got shot in the leg. I was due for some much-needed rest!

"Ah, Lindir!" Gandalf hailed the elf. "I must speak with Lord Elrond." The wizard said after the two had exchanged some words in elvish.

"My lord Elrond is not here." The elf said, a serious expression appearing across his uncannily smooth face.

"Not here?" Gandalf repeated cautiously. "Where is he?" But his words were cut short as a horn sounded and several elves astride tall horses galloped onto the platform and began circlin' us threateningly. Kili quickly moved me behind him as the dwarves formed a protective ring, Bilbo, Ori, and myself in the center. I tried to focus on the danger I was in and not how broad the young archer's back is, or how red my face was gettin'. After circlin' a couple times, far more than was necessary, the horses came to a stop. On elf leapt down gracefully and crossed to Gandalf, a wide smile on his face. They exchanged greetin's in elvish, and I started seriously considerin' tryin' to learn their language just so I could figure out what in the blue blazes was goin' on!

"Strange for an orc pack to come so close to our borders." The elf spoke up, I had heard Gandalf say during the greetin's, so I assumed this elf was he. "Something or someone had drawn them near." Elrond turned towards the tight ring of dwarves, examinin' an orcish blade in his hand.

"Ah, that may have been us." Gandalf smiled a little apologetically. Elrond nodded slightly as he stared at us. His eyes were narrowed, though he was still smilin'. Then he spoke in elvish to us and we all looked at each other, equally baffled.

"What is he sayin'?" Gloin growled. "Does he offer us insult?" At the suggestion, many of the dwarves started lettin' out cries of outrage. But the elven lord just laughed.

"No master dwarf he's offering you food." Gandalf translated smilin' at the dwarves who turned to one another, discussin' how to proceed. I was too tired to pay attention to the whispers of my companions and just dozed, my weight all on my injured leg. "Lead the way then." Gloin said, turnin' back to the elf lord. Elrond smiled and motioned for us to travel up the stone stairs. I limped over to the bottom drowsily as the rest of the dwarves marched by me. I halted at the bottom of the stairs, unsure of how to proceed. _They should really add some handrails to these things._ I thought to myself. Kili stopped half way up the stairs and looked back, rememberin' I was still there. He started downwards, but an elven maiden swept past him quickly and rushed to my side. I looked up in surprise to see the graceful elf appear next to me. Her hair was very long, amazingly smooth, and a beautiful light brown. Her perfectly shaped face smiled down at me. I felt like my eyes were goin' to burn out, she was so bright and… glowin'? Maybe I was more tired then I thought. She spoke softly in elven then, at my confusion, repeated herself in a language I understood. I think elves get a certain pleasure out of doin' that to people.

"Allow me to help you." She smiled at me before leadin' me up the stairs. I didn't argue, cause I was in quite a predicament. But I was gettin' these weird vibes from the elven maiden, like she was treatin' me like a child. And I didn't like it. Once we reached the top of the stairs, she turned to me again. "I will help you to the healing house." She told me, still smilin' angelically. "You'll be right as rain in no time." Even her metaphors were weird. Me started headin' over to one of the smaller buildin's and I look back at the others in despair as I see them bein' lead somewhere else. I didn't mind gettin' healed, but I would rather be with people I knew.

We entered the little buildin' and the elf set me down on a finely carved chair. Then she went to grab some different herbs and bandages.

"What's your name?" I asked her curiously as she gathered supplies.

"Tathren." The maiden smiled at me. "It means Willow."

"That's a nice name." I nodded approvingly. "I'm Laurëel." I smiled, offerin' a hand to shake. She didn't take it, which I thought was a little rude until I remember her hands were full of herbs. I let my hand drop quickly.

"Laurëel? That means Golden Daughter, doesn't it?" Tathren asked, quickly unwinding the makeshift bandage on my wound and examining my leg carefully.

"Yep." I replied, lookin' down at the wound as well. The blood had stopped, but it was a frightful mess. And it was very dirty lookin'.

"Maybe we can get you cleaned up before dinner as well." The maiden smiled up at me, though I know she was actually disgusted by how grimy and dirty I am. I probably smelled awful too. She brought me over instead to a little fountain that apparently doubled up as a bathtub. "Have a nice bath while I try and find some cloths that will fit you." She smiled.

"Alright…" I said warily. "But I'm tellin' you now, I'm not wearin' any dresses." Tathren smiled at me and walked away gracefully. I sighed. Bein' civil for this long was goin' to wear on my nerves.

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So? So? What did you think?

Please let me know

in the white box bellow! ... Random moments of rhyme...


	15. Chapter 15: Dinner guests

Yay! More elves! Very excited! Hope you all enjoy! And Please review! It makes me very happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines to the movie.

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Laurëel sighed, trying desperately to dry her thick wet hair with the towel Tathren had provided for her. It wasn't working too well. On the bright side, her leg had started to feel a lot better once it had been cleaned about wrapped. The shorter female looked down at her new outfit. It didn't fit quite right, since it was made for a young boy who must have been a lot skinnier that Laurëel. But, at least it wasn't a dress. Laurëel reminded herself.

"Are you finished?" Tathren called, sticking her head into the room. "Oh!" She cried in surprise. "You're actually quite beautiful when you aren't caked in mud." She smiled playfully at the younger girl.

"Yeah?" Laurëel asked. "Remind me of that next time I see a mud puddle." She added sourly.

"Now, now," Tathren scolded lightly. "If you keep up that attitude, how will you ever impress that dwarf?"

"What dwarf?" Laurëel asked in alarm. Tathren just winked knowingly. Laurëel was completely confused.

"Anyway, hurry up, it's time for dinner." The elf maiden helped the other girl to her feet, ready to provide support to the wounded girl.

"I think I can manage by myself." Laurëel said, stepping away from the elf a bit.

"If you wish." Tathren nodded before walking out, leaving the shorter girl to follow behind her. Laurëel sighed as she walked along. She spent so much time trying to get the mud, blood, and sweat off, that she hadn't had time to braid her hair again. Her fluffy blonde locks felt bushy and hot. And the one strand kept falling in her face and blocking her one eye. After brushing it back several times, Laurëel eventually just grabbed the misbehaving strands and braided them together as she walked. That was better.

A flute was playing in the little alcove where the others already sat. Laurëel noticed unhappily that _they_ hadn't been forced to clean up at all. The disgruntled girl took the empty seat next to Dwalin as Tathren made her way smoothly over to a large harp and began playing it elegantly.

"You look beautiful lassie." Bofur winked at Laurëel from her right. The girl blushed self-consciously and looked down at her food.

"Thanks." Her mumble was barely audible over the complaints rising from around the table.

"Try it." Dori encouraged his little brother. "Just a mouthful." Ori shook his head and dropped the lettuce leaf again.

"I don't like green food." He said stubbornly.

"Where's the meat?" Dwalin asked from beside the girl, searching through his salad in case it was buried underneath.

"Do they have any chips?" Ori looked around hopefully. Laurëel sighed and looked over at the other table where Gandalf, Elrond, and Thorin sat. They were looking at the swords found in the trolls cave. Laurëel jumped slightly as she remembered her own trinket she had found. She slipped the little moon shaped pendant out of her boot and examined it again. She would have to ask Lord Elrond about it later if she got the chance.

"I wouldn't laddie." A voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked over to see Balin consoling Bilbo, who had his sword in his lap. "Weapons are named for the great deeds they do in battle."

"What, are you saying my sword hasn't seen battle?" Bilbo asked, slightly offended.

"I'm not sure it is a sword." Balin confessed, looking at the hobbit sympathetically. "More of a letter opener really." Laurëel snickered a bit and looked around at the table some more. She spotted Kili at the other side of the round, wooden table. What had he thought of her, now that she wasn't a living mass of dirt and grime? However, the dark haired archer seemed quite busy. Laurëel followed his gaze to see Tathren stroking the large harp rhythmically. Kili winked at the elf flirtatiously. Laurëel narrowed her eyes. Kili looked over in her direction and his smile faded away. Only then did she notice it had been the bald dwarf next to her that had wiped the young archer's grin off his face. Kili cleared his throat and looked at Dwalin nonchalantly.

"Can't say I much fancy elf maids myself." He shrugged, trying to play it cool. "All high cheek bones and creamy skin. Not enough facial hair." Dwalin gave him another look. "Though… that one there's not bad." Kili admitted, nodding to one behind him.

"That's not an elf maid." Dwalin said, leaning closer to the young dwarf, who in surprise looked behind him. He paled and looked down sheepishly. The table erupted into laughter as Kili sat there embarrassed. "Very funny." Laurëel stared down at the vegetation in front of her. She was all of a sudden not very hungry. Her mind couldn't help but compare how many of the traits Kili had listed also applied to her. High cheekbones, no facial hair… But what did that matter? Laurëel asked herself angrily. It's not as if she fancied the archer or anything. He was just an annoying, arrogant, dwarf who happened to be the same age as her. Laurëel sighed and laid her head on the table.

"Are you okay lass?" Bofur asked, somewhat concerned.

"Yeah…" Laurëel said, not very convincing. "This music is just puttin' me to sleep."

"Change the tune why don't you?" Nori asked, clearing out an ear with his finger. "I feel like I'm at a funeral!"

"Did somebody die?" Oin asked in alarm, taking the other dwarf's words seriously. Bofur looked down at the tired looking girl next to him.

"Only one thing for it lads!" He cried, getting up onto a pedestal in the center of the room. Laurëel's eyes flitted upwards towards Bofur as he started singing an old drinking song. The dwarves began cheering and stomping their feet. Some who knew the tune started singing along as well. And food began flying through the air. The elves looked around in alarm, unsure of what to do. So they ended up doing nothing as the dwarves carried on, making a giant mess of the place. Bofur finished his song with a flourish as the rest of the dwarves erupted into applause and the last of the food was being thrown. Bofur bowed to his appreciating crowd and hopped off the stone pedestal before taking a seat again. Then, everyone fell silent as Laurëel stood up with one quick motion. Her unbraided locks hang in a curtain around her face as she stood there with her head hanging low.

"I'll be excusing myself now." She hissed sharply before turning on her heel and marching out of the balcony.

"Did I do something?" Bofur asked, looking around wide-eyed. The rest of the company just shrugged. Everyone was unsure of what had set the girl off. Including herself.

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Sooooooo? What did you think? Oh, bad news though. I'll only be posting one chapter a day, if that. I'm getting so busy, it hard to find time to write! Please review! I love the feedback I've been getting! It's all so helpful.


	16. Chapter 16: A walk in moonlight

Oh yeah! You guys are in for a treat today! This is a really fun chapter in my opinion... well, I let you read it and decide for yourself. Please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie. Greater minds got to them first.

Enjoy!

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I paced back and forth tirelessly. My head was a muddled mess as I turned again and again along the smooth stone floor. Then my leg started actin' up again and I was forced to sit down. I rested myself in a moonlit window over lookin' the waterfalls and the dwarves down bellow. They had gathered themselves in an open room and had got a fire goin'. They laughed merrily as they sat around the dancin' light, talkin' and jokin'. I would never be a part of that. I looked away quickly as a tear threatened to spill down my cheek. I brushed it away with my hand before it could tumble away. I gazed up at the moon, only to find it duckin' behind a cloud that had blown along. The laughs of the dwarves echoed across the valley and I did all I could not to collapse on the spot right then and there. I quickly got to my feet, a bit rougher than my wounded leg would have preferred, and walked away from the window.

"Laurëel." A voice called from across the unlit room. I looked over in surprise to see Elrond standing serenely in the doorway. The elven lord crossed gracefully over to where I stood, shakin'. Why was I shakin'? "You are troubled." He concluded, lookin' at my current state. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and nodded.

"I'm fine my lord." I denied, trying to put on a smile. It didn't work.

"Clearly you are not." He raised an eyebrow. "Walk with me child. I will listen if you wish to tell." He beckoned me forward and began walkin' out of the buildin' I had hid myself in. We continued for a bit in silence as I tried to clear my head, to no avail. After awhile, I gave up tryin'. I was sure I would sound like an idiot.

"I don't know what to do." I confessed at last.

"About what?" Lord Elrond prompted calmly.

"I don't know what to do with all my emotions!" I threw my arms up exasperatedly. "I don't even understand them half the time! No…" I stopped to think. "Make that none of the time." To my surprise, Lord Elrond chuckled softly.

"You will come to find that no one truly understands their emotions. Not even the Maiar truly understand what drives them to do the things they do." The elf mused. "Even I do not understand them."

"That's very insightful, but not much help at the moment." I sighed, my head clearin' a tiny bit at the elf's logic.

"What is it specifically that troubles you now?" Lord Elrond asked, tryin' to be of use.

"I'm…" I started before falterin' again. I thought over my next words carefully, tryin' to explain how I felt. "I'm not like the rest of the company."

"Neither is mister Baggins." The elf lord pointed out.

"But it's not the same." I turned to the tall figure. "Bilbo… he has a home. A place that he belongs. And once this is over… he'll have a place to return to." I stared out over the railin' down at the cascades of water driftin' into the valley. "I've never had a place like that. A place to call home. All my life, I've been an outcast. The scum of society. The elves hate my dwarven half and the dwarves hate my elven side. Even in human towns I am useless. I posses neither the foretold skill of the dwarves, nor to I carry the graceful and elegant demeanor of the elves. I am doomed by my blood to never fit in." I sighed, my fate starin' me straight in the face for the first time in forever.

"The world is challenging you." Lord Elrond spoke up after bein' quiet for a long time. I looked over at him, clearly puzzled. "Most dwarves and elves are born into a tight, cultured society from birth. From the very beginning, they have a place they belong to. Even when their home is taken, like Erebor, their kin are ready to help them recover from their loss." I stared at the elf lord intently, waitin' to see where he was goin' with this. "But, you Laurëel…" Elrond turned to look at me. "The Valar chose you to be without this comfort. Without this net of safety, you were brought to face the challenges of life from the very beginning. You had to find your own place in the world. And it has made you strong."

"Are you tryin' to tell me that I'm blest?" I asked, gettin' a bit offended.

"No." Elrond laughed. "I am telling you that you are strong. And you have the strength to make a place for yourself. Somewhere that you can call home." The tall elf smiled down at me, and I feel the stormy clouds that filled my head slippin' away into the night.

"Laurëel! There you are!" I hear a familiar voice call to me. The clouds are back.

"Farewell." Elrond said to me before turnin' away and leavin' me alone.

"I was looking everywhere for you!" I took a deep breath and turned to see Kili walking over towards me. _Can't say I fancy elf maids myself._ Why is that playin' in my head as soon as I see him?

"Kili." I said flatly. He stopped next to me, a concerned expression across his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. "You left dinner so suddenly. We were all worried. Bofur feels awful; though we told him it wasn't his fault. It wasn't, was it?" Kili spoke rapidly. I felt dizzy.

"Which question do you want me to answer first?" I asked, somewhat snappishly. Kili paused for a moment before continuing.

"The first one." He decided.

"No. No I am not all right. And before you ask, there is nothin' you can do to help." I huff. "As for the second question. You can tell Bofur that _he_ did nothin' wrong so he can relax."

"Then why were you so upset? If you don't mind me asking." Kili raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Because of you, you idiot!" I yell at him before stompin' off. At least, I try to. But as I spun away from that moron of a dwarf, I must have twisted my injured leg in a way it wasn't supposed to and I crumple to the ground after a couple steps. _Great. Just… great. Perfect timing leg. Thanks so much._ I hiss sarcastically in my head.

"Me?" Kili asked from behind me, utterly confused. "What did I do?" He seemed hurt. Much more than I expected him to. I fall to my back and cover my eyes with my arm. _Would the earth just eat me up now please?_

"Figure it out yerself." I shout, still not lookin' at the confused archer.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Kili asked angrily. "What did I do wrong?"

"I don't know!" I cried, starin' straight at him. He stared back at me, shocked. He was also upside down because I was looking at him from the ground and he had been right behind me. He started to speak and stopped again, still starin' at me. I covered my eyes again, and, from the heat in my face, I was almost certain it's as red as an apple. Even my ears were burnin' with embarrassment. "I just don't know." I muttered, softer than before. Then Kili spoke, his words also quieter.

"Do you have any ideas?" I could hear his footsteps comin' closer slowly.

"It was… when you were sayin' that you didn't fancy elf maids." I admitted, feelin' for sure that I would die of embarrassment right then and there. He laughed at this and I sat up quickly, turnin' to glare at the young dwarf. "Don't you dare laugh!" But then I stopped as I turned around to see his faces inches away from mine. His eyes were soft, but there was a twinkle of laughter in them. A gentle but slightly mischievous smile danced across his face. I didn't think my face could turn any redder, but it did as I stared into his large brown eyes. I sat there, my body completely numb. I couldn't move or think. And I barely registered him as he started talkin' again.

"But you aren't an elf maiden." He continued smiling. "And I didn't say anything about half elf, half dwarven maidens." He slowly raised a gentle had to my cheek, strokin' it rhythmically. At his touch, I suddenly snapped out of my trance and leapt to my feet, stumblin' back a few steps. I could move again, but my thoughts and my movements still weren't syncin' up right. Kili just stayed crouchin' watchin' me stumble away, completely flustered. I bit the inside of my cheek hard, tryin' to snap out of my disjointed actions. The taste of my own blood snapped me into focus and I turned quickly and rushed down the stairs, away from the dark haired archer. As I rushed through the series of halls and pathways I held my cheek tenderly. _Maybe I bit myself a bit too hard._

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That... that last bit... just...*fangirl squeal*

Anyway, please tell me what you thought! I'd really love some feedback on this chapter!


	17. Chapter 17: Fire stories

2000 views! WOOHOO! Thanks so much for the support guys! It really keeps me writing! Though reviews would be even better! That way I could improve my writing too! Nice long chapter today! We'll see if you like it or not.

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

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Fili sat against a pillar in the large empty room that the dwarves inhabited. He watched as Bifur broke apart the rest of an ornate chair to burn in the small fire they had started. The group laughed and joked merrily as they roasted their sausages. All save a few of the company. Balin, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Thorin were missing. And that wasn't all. Laurëel and Kili were not there at first either. Fili knew that his younger brother had gone to look for the girl after her abrupt departure at dinner, but they had been gone longer than Fili had expected. What was more, Laurëel arrived alone long after the moon had risen. She slipped into the large room quietly, and stayed mostly in the shadows. But Fili's keen eyes could see that her face was completely flushed. A couple minutes later, Kili entered, a strange look on his face. Laurëel shifted visibly at the young archer's entrance. Fili sighed. _What have you done now Kili?_

"Bombor!" Bofur called out from his place by the fire. He tossed a sausage to Bombor who sat precariously on a table. The larger dwarf caught the sausage and looked down as the table creaked alarmingly. Then, without warning, the table splintered apart and Bombor fell to the ground, his plate of food flying every which way. The dwarves roared with laughter as Bombor dusted himself off merrily. Laurëel did not join in.

"Let tell stories!" Ori suggested happily. The dwarves nodded in agreement, feeling safe for the first time in ages.

"I'll go first." Gloin volunteered. Fili saw Laurëel slump to the ground out of the corner of his eye and try to fall asleep. _Good luck with that_. Fili chuckled to himself. Gloin cleared his throat until everyone was quiet then looked at them, mysteriously. "We have all heard tales of the barrow downs." He began, his voice low and quiet. "The little tales told by dwarven mothers to keep their rowdy children at bay." The dwarves nodded, remembering the bedtime stories about the ancient tomes. "There is a reason that these stories scare young lads so." Gloin looked around warily. "It's because they are true!" The entire group fell silent for a moment until, at last, Nori spoke up.

"Are you telling me that that dumb story about the dwarf-eating block of cheese is a true story?" The tall dwarf asked skeptically.

"Well, not that one." Gloin said quickly.

"Or the tale of the lone goblin bard that wanders the barrow downs singing his horrible songs to anyone who comes near?" Oin pointed out.

"Not that one either…" Gloin admitted.

"Oh, and the one about the large man in yellow boots that is older than even Gandalf?" Ori asked excitedly.

"Uh…." Gloin looked around nervously.

"Actually, I think that one is true." Dori piped in.

"Are you kidding?" Fili spoke up. "That's the most ridiculous one of them all!"

"Will you all just shut up?" Laurëel shouted, standing up. Everyone looked at her, startled. "You all have no idea how to tell stories, do you?" She glared skeptically. The dwarves just stared at her, blankly. Laurëel sighed and walked over to the fire. "I guess there's no helpin' it then." The company watched her closely as she plopped herself down by the fire wearily. "The story I'm about to tell you all is a favorite of mine, so listen up and no interruptions!" She cleared her throat and stared into the fire.

"This is a tale of a most brave human woman who had hair of a flaming red. Her name was Elena, and she lived on an island by herself." Laurëel began, looking into the faces of those around her. "The young woman's parents had died long ago, leavin' her to look after the cattle. And that's the way it went for many years, till one day, a ship approached her shores. The large boat docked and several men came off of it. Their captain was a young man who introduced himself as Saehan, prince of the southern seas. Elena learned that they were on a journey and needed supplies. Elena agreed to give the men her cattle, but only if she be allowed to travel with them on their quest."

"At first, the prince refused, offerin' her gold and many riches instead. But the girl was intent on joinin' them. Eventually, Saehan gave in, and Elena was allowed to join them. They sailed many days, until one night, durin' a fierce storm, their ship was attacked by Gilleria, the sea serpent. The men tried to defend themselves, but the monster would only stop if they gave him the red haired maiden. Saehan refused immediately, but Elena had heard the monsters demand and lowered herself in the rowboat to the rockin' waters. When Saehan saw this, he begged Elena to not give herself up. But Elena was firm in her resolve. 'I will not let the lives of your men be on my head.' She declared. 'What happens now is the will of the Valar.' And with that, she rowed away into the turnin' sea. Gilleria followed, intent on eatin' the maiden whole. But Elena was prepared for this. As the serpent's open mouth approached, Elena swung an axe into its mouth, woundin' it horribly. It thrashed in pain, sendin' her little boat far away from Saehan's ship."

"Eventually, Elena drifted up to the shore of a distant island. The bedraggled maiden wandered until she came upon a little cottage. A little old woman opened the door when Elena knocked. 'Please, will you give me shelter?' Elena asked the woman. The old woman agreed and Elena entered. Inside the little house was simple and drab. Save for a large gleamin' sword on the mantle and a small silver ring lyin' in front of it. 'What are those?' Elena asked the woman curiously. The woman smiled and told Elena that they were not hers. They were merely restin' here until a champion came to slay the evil giant, Bemehon, that had conquered these lands. 'Whoever can where the silver ring, can wield the sword and slay the giant.' The old woman said, finishin' her tale. Elena stayed out the house for many days until one night, a knock sounded at the door. The maiden opened it to find Saehan standin' outside. Upon seein' each other again, they threw their arms around each other. 'I had looked everywhere for you.' Saehan explained. 'And now you have found me.' Elena smiled at the prince. 'Come, let us continue on our journey.' Saehan said, turnin' to leave. But the old woman called out to them. 'The maiden may not leave here until the giant is destroyed.' And indeed, Elena could not leave the island. Her feet would not step into water or boat. 'Very well, than I will slay this giant so Elena may be free.' 'If you are the champion I seek, you will be able to wear the ring and wield the sword destined to destroy the giant.' The woman told him. Saehan tried to put the ring on his finger, but it did not fit. He then tried to take the sword from the mantle, but it would not budge. 'You are not the champion I seek. Away with you.' The woman dismissed him. 'Then I shall kill this giant with my own sword.' He resolved. And he set out that very mornin' to fight the giant Bemehon. Elena was stricken with grief as she watched the prince ride away. When she again entered the house, the old woman was starin' into her cauldron. In the surface, Elena could see Saehan fightin' the giant. But he fell. Elena cried out in anger. 'I will avenge you!' she vowed. Blinded by fear and anger, Elena took the silver ring and put it on her finger. She felt power well up inside her as she took the destined sword from the mantle. 'You are the champion I seek.' The old woman stared in wonder. The fiery haired maiden set out immediately to defeat the giant. When the giant heard Elena coming he bellowed:

_Fee, fum, fo, fay,_

_What foolish mortal comes this way?_

_Churl or champion, king's son or knave,_

_One blow of my club sends you to your grave!_

Seeing the only a girl comin' to face him, he laughed mercilessly. But, when Elena spotted Saehan's lifeless body, she charged forward, cryin' with rage. She swung the sword at the giant, cuttin' him deep to the thigh. The giant swung his club, but Elena quickly dodged his clumsy attacks. The battle raged on till, at last, she brought the giant to his knees. 'For Saehan!' she cried, and severed the giant's head clean off. But she felt no joy, or sense of relief. Only pain filled her heart as she collapsed by Saehan's limp form. The old woman appeared behind her. 'Away with you! It is your twisted games that have caused his death!' Elena yelled at the woman. 'Fret not, what is done may yet be undone.' The old woman turned, leavin' Elena to follow, grief stricken. The old woman climbed up into the Giant's tallest tower. In the top most room, was a chest, which she opened. 'Behold the water of life.' The old woman turned to Elena placin' a drop of liquid on her forehead. Immediately, the old woman regained her youth, and she became young and healthy again. They returned to Saehan's side and the now young woman sprinkled some of the water on him. He immediately returned from death. And they lived happily ever after." Laurëel finished, satisfied by the faces of wonder on the dwarves faces.

"Is that it?" Kili spoke up, disrupting the spell.

"What do you mean is that it?" Laurëel asked heatedly, her face flushing again.

"Well, he's alive now, but what happens after that?" Kili pressed, the other dwarves murmured in agreement.

"Well… there… there is a little bit at the end about them gettin' married and such, but I don't find it very excitin' so I usually cut it out." Laurëel stammered, looking away from the archer's keen gaze.

"You can't do that!" Bofur cried. "That's a beautiful ending!"

"Yes! You have to include it!" Dori agreed. Laurëel sighed.

"Fine. Then they returned home and got married and lived happily ever after." She finished quickly, her words rushed. "Better?" She glared at the others.

"I suppose it'll do." Nori shrugged.

"I'm goin' to bed." Laurëel groaned rubbing her temples and standing up. "I'll see you all in the morinin'."

"Aye." Bofur smiled. "Goodnight lass."

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Awwwww... I don't know about you guys, but I found that ending so cute when I was writing it.

Laurëel's story is based off the irish story "Brave Margret" I just really like that story and I think it really fits Laurëel's character.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! please please please review! It let's me know that people are reading this!


	18. Chapter 18: Thunder in the mountains

And back to the adventure! Yay! ^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie. Obviously.

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I breathed in a sigh of relief. We were finally settin' off again. I was surprised how long we spent in the Rivendell. Especially after Thorin had enlightened the company on what the map had said and how urgent it was that we get to the mountain before Durin's day. Still, I could hardly blame the dwarves for wantin' to stay in the protection of the elves just a little bit longer. Even though they claimed to hate the tall folk so much, the fact still remained that within the valley, they were safe. And that comfort is not somethin' so easily relinquished.

I hefted the new elven backpack I had been given onto my shoulders and looked to see the rest of the party still gettin' ready. It wasn't surprisin', since it was very early in the mornin'. I wasn't sure why Thorin felt it so imperative to leave before dawn. I leaned back against a pillar as I waited, my pack providin' an uncomfortable lump as I did so. It felt good to be back in my own clothes again too. Though I had suspected the elves had done somthin' with them. For they were cleaner now then they had ever been before. And softer too. Kili walked past me, already packed as well, to go talk with his brother. I quickly looked away as soon as I realized it was him. It was inconvenient havin' to look somewhere else all the time, but it was the only thing I could do to not turn bright red every time I came near him.

"Lets go." Thorin spoke up from the front of the company. He turned and headed out over the bridge. The rest of the company followed behind, grumblin' or quickly throwin' things into their packs before runnin' to catch up. I ended up walkin' behind Bilbo. The little hobbit seemed in very poor spirits. I gathered it was due to our departure, for he kept stoppin' and lookin' back at the valley of the elves and sighin'. It was very annoyin' for me since whenever he stopped I had to stop too. Even Thorin got annoyed at one point, cause he called back to the hobbit.

"Mr. Baggins, I suggest you keep up." Bilbo turned around again with a sigh and continued marchin' forward. He did not turn around again. I had no time to worry myself with the hobbit's present state of mind however, for the rocky paths of the mountain were treacherously narrow. A sheer rock face on one side, and bottomless chasm on the other. I don't know if it actually was bottomless, cause I was intent on not lettin' myself look down, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see a sheer drop that would most definitely kill you. And that was all I needed to know. It turned even worse when it started to rain. The rocks quickly became slippery and we all clung to the side of the mountain, placin' on foot in front of the other as carefully as we could as to not slip and fall to our deaths. We traveled like this into the night, as thunder and lightenin' danced through the sky. My arm flashed forward and grabbed the hobbit by his shirt and pulled him backward. After the hobbit was back against the wall, I realized that he had been about to fall. Thank goodness for instincts. But then I heard someone up ahead shout.

"Look out!" They warned loudly. I squinted my eyes to look through the downpour, only to see a large boulder flyin' toward us. I froze with terror as the massive thing hurtled toward us. Suddenly, I felt a strong arm grab me, pullin' me to the rock face. I quickly shielded my head with my arms as the boulder smashed into the cliff face above us. A shower of rocks pelted down on us, but fortunately, the largest of them tumbled down into the chasm, missin' us completely. After I was sure there were no more rocks fallin' on us, I looked up to see Kili standin' there with a protective arm around me.

"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin cried out. I turned to see the old dwarf starin' in amazement at somthin'. "It's a thunder battle! Look!" I look to where he is pointin' and, to my horror, a colossal figure rises from the mountainside and grabs another boulder from the mountain. It is made entirely of stone.

"Bless my soul!" Bofur exclaimed, "The legends are true! Giants! Stone Giants!" but his excitement is quickly diminished as the ground beneath our feet started quakin' madly. The path split in two, seperatin' our company in half.

"Kili!" Fili shouted from the other side. The younger brother stared in fear as the two slowly were pulled farther and farther apart. I looked up to see another on the giants sit up from the mountain. I couldn't believe it. I was ridin' on a stone giant! But my amazement was soon replaced by terror as we were swung through the air. We all held onto each other as the giant continued fightin', unaware of our presence. I held onto Bilbo tightly, makin' sure he didn't tumble over as he had almost done previously. Then I saw the mountainside comin' straight towards me. Or, more accurately, I was goin' straight towards the rock face. Fortunately, we didn't get squished like a bug, but we did slam hard into the stone. I slipped and slid across the wet rock, and I just barely grabbed the edge as I felt myself fallin' into thin air. The giant's knee moved away as the fight carried on farther from us. I looked down now that I could see and let out a gasp of alarm. My feet dangled above open air, and Bilbo held desperately onto my one arm, which threatened to be pulled out of its socket. I looked up at my one hand; it was all that was keepin' Bilbo and me from fallin' to our deaths. I could already feel it slidin'.

"Where's Bilbo?" Someone asked from above.

"Help!" I managed to croak out as my hand slipped from the edge. Ori dived quickly, grabbin' my arm in both of his. I was still slippin' though.

"Grab my hand!" Bofur called down, extendin' a hand towards me.

"I can't!" I growled up, my other arm weighted down by terrified hobbit. Then, to my surprise, Thorin swung down to a tiny ledge next to us, one arm grabbin' the edge. With his free hand, Thorin grabbed Bilbo by the collar and raised him up to Bofur's reachin' arms. Bofur grabbed the hobbit and hoisted him to the cliff just as Thorin's hand slipped and he fell from the cliff. But Dwalin, waitin' for this, grabbed his arm and started liftin' him to the ledge. Seein' that he was in safe hands, I looked up and swung my free arm up, where it was caught by Kili. He, Ori, and Dwalin pulled mightily until both Thorin and I were safely on horizontal ground. I gasped for breath as I lay on the ground, exhausted. My arms felt like jelly, and I wasn't sure if it was from the exhortation or the relief. Kili kept hold of my one arm, also pantin' heavily on the ground. I was too tired to do anythin' about it though.

"For a moment there," Bofur started. "I thought we had lost our hobbit." Bilbo looked up at the cheery dwarf, smilin' slightly.

"Mr. Baggins has been lost ever since he left home!" Thorin snapped, turnin' away. His brush with death had clearly startled him, though he pretended otherwise. "Let's go." He said to the rest of the group. "We need to find shelter." Luckily, there was a cave not too far from where the stone giant had dropped us off.

"It's empty." Dwalin observed as we entered.

"Search to the back." Thorin ordered. "Caves in the mountain are seldom unoccupied." I glanced at him before lookin' around nervously.

"I don't like this place." I muttered under my breath. Kili, who was still by my side, glanced over at me.

"It's empty!" Dwalin reported from the back.

"Alright." Gloin said, settin' down a pile of firewood. "Let's get a fire goin'."

"No!" Thorin quickly snapped. "No fires. Not in this place." The dwarves grumbled and plopped down around the cave, settlein' down to rest. "Bofur, your on first watch." Bofur sighed and sat down by the entrance. I shifted restlessly on my feet.

"What's the matter?" Fili asked me as he rolled out his bedroll.

"How can you sleep in this place?" I looked at him worriedly. "It's… unnatural."

"I'm tired." He shrugged. "We all need our rest for tomorrow. Especially you after that fall off the cliff."

"I can't sleep." I nodded my head. "Not here." I felt Kili's eyes on my back as I walked out of the cave. Bofur raised an eyebrow at me as I walked out the entrance. "I'll be right outside." I explained, answerin' his unasked question. I headed outside. The rain had lightened up to a spring shower as I plopped down right by the entrance. I leaned back against the wall and tried to sleep.

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Alright! So? What did you guys think? I feeling bad for begging, but pleeeeeease review! I know there are people viewing this! But you're all so quiet! I thrive off of feedback! So please give me some! I really want to hear your thoughts on it!(The good, the bad, and the completely random and unrelated!) Thanks so much for reading! I hope to hear from you soon!


	19. Chapter 19: Alone in Goblin Town

Time for a little Laurëel solo adventuring! Yay! I really hope you guys like this chapter! I had sooooo much fun writing this one.*evil grin*

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or the lines from the movie.

Please Review and Enjoy!

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The fitful slumber that I had managed to obtain was rudely snatched away from me as I jolted awake. My knee banged on a rock, as I looked around frantically. I could feel the earth beneath me vibratin' and quakin'. _More stone giants?_ I thought quickly. Then I realized I was wrong as I heard Thorin shout from inside the cave. I got up quickly and headed over to the cave mouth a few feet away, but I stumbled a bit as the ground lurched beneath my feet. I heard the rest of the dwarves scream… do dwarves scream? Bilbo did anyway, as I stumbled backwards tryin' to regain my footin'. I planted my feet firmly as the ground stilled. Givin' my feet a moment to catch up with my head, I rushed into the cave only to stop abruptly as the stone beneath my feet disappeared. I quickly grabbed the cave wall to stop myself from fallin' in headfirst. I looked around to see the entire floor had opened up. The Company was gone.

I stood there for a moment, tryin' to grasp what had just happened. One second they were all here, sleepin' peacefully, and the next, they were gone. And then my moment of peace was over, cause the floor slowly started pullin' itself back up. I had to make my decision fast, and I did. I jumped as lightly as I could into the tunnel below. Then rock was amazingly smooth but I managed to grab onto a ledge and lower myself to a manageable crouch. Then I started movin' forward. The tunnel went on for what felt like ages. I could only see thanks to the holes in the sides of the tunnels. Judgin' from the color and movement of the light, I predicted it to be some kind of torch or fire. There was definitely somethin' down here.

Then I slipped as the tunnel dropped alarmingly. I managed to brace my self on the sides of the tunnel, which had gotten suddenly narrow, and look down. Below me was a rickety platform made of ill sized wood and a pathetic lookin' fence that ran along the outside. I didn't see anyone there though. I took a deep breath, and relaxed my handholds, allowin' myself to fall to the ground. I landed in a crouch that sent a spike of pain to my almost nonexistent arrow wound. _Please don't get worse. Please don't get worse._ I thought to myself. I stood up slowly and sighed in relief as the pain disappeared. I didn't need this to be any more complicated that it already was.

Lookin' at my surroundin's, I realized my fears had been confirmed. There were goblins down 'ear. A lot of them. But, none of them were nearby. Which was beyond odd. _Not really. _I thought to myself. _They just got fourteen new prisoners, remember?_ My gut twisted at that thought, so I quickly pushed it away. I had to focus on gettin' them out of here. And the quicker the better. I pulled out my urgrosh and started forward across the series of rickety paths and bridges. It was a maze of uneven wood. How was I supposed to find em in this mess? Then I heard it. A horrible voice boomed through the vast caverns, squealin' and hollarin' terribly.

Bones will be shattered!

Necks will be wrung!

You'll be beaten and battered!

From racks you'll be hung!

You will die down here and never be found!

Down in the deep of goblin town!

Goblin town. A town full of goblins. How original. I followed my protestin' ears till the noise got louder and louder. The sight before me was truly horrific. Goblins screamed and cheered from every side, like some sick arena of judgment. In the center of the openin', was a large platform. On it, stood a huge grotesque mound of fat and skin. A thin, spiky crown adorned the head of the monstrosity. The goblin king sat on his throne, but I could not see his face, I was almost directly behind him. But I was elevated enough to see the Company standin' before him. They were surrounded by grotesque lookin' goblins. There weapons in a pile between them and the king. I looked around for a way to get over there. The only way I could see was the wooden path on the opposite side. Then I spied a rope. One of the goblins picked up Thorin's sword and looked at in curiously before shriekin' in horror as soon as he unsheathed it. The Great goblin cowered back in alarm.

"I know that sword! It is the goblin cleaver! The biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" I grabbed the rope, which hung from a railin' above me. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!" I gathered my courage, and jumped. My heart left my chest for a moment as the rope fell farther than I expected. _This is it. I'm goin' to fall to my death._ But it finally taunted, and I started swingin' upwards again. I land on the platform right behind the throne and scrambled around it.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Everyone froze and turned to see the Goblin King stiff as a board with my urgrosh centimeters away from his neck. I saw a smile break onto Kili's face immediately, but I didn't smile back. I needed to keep my composure about me in case any of the goblins tried somthin'. I looked straight at the goblins holdin' down Thorin. A knife, inches away from his neck. "Let him go." I ordered. "Or your king meets the same fate." The goblin's eyes went wider than they were before and they slowly backed off. Thorin stood to his feet, but I glared at him to make sure he didn't do anythin' else yet. Even the slightest movement, a glance toward a weapon, and the goblins would be on us. "Alright, now let the rest of them go." I ordered the rest of the goblins. Slowly, the dwarves were released from the gnarled claws. Bilbo wasn't there. I tried my hardest not to panic. "Pick up your weapons." I instructed the dwarves. "Slowly." The goblins started forward again, but stopped as I pulled my urgrosh closer to the Great Goblin's neck. The dwarves slowly approached their weapons and picked them up. The Goblin King started squirmin' beneath my grasp and I pulled the blade closer, so that it was restin' on the mound of fat hangin' from his jaw. "Now let them through." The goblins slowly shuffled away from the center, givin' a path for the dwarves to leave through. "Go." I instructed the dwarves.

"What about you?" Kili asked lookin' at me, confused.

"Just go!" I shouted. Dwalin grabbed Kili's shoulder and pulled him around. As the young archer's face turned away from me, I saw realization dawn on his face.

"No." He whispered. "No!" He said louder, tryin' to turn back around. Fili grabbed his other arm and he and Dwalin pulled the archer away. I averted my eyes and instead glared at the goblins, darin' them to try and do somthin' about me. No one did. "Laurëel!" I could still hear Kili's voice as they disappeared into the maze of caverns. I closed my eyes, tryin' hard not to let any weakness show. It didn't fool the Goblin King. I felt myself grabbed from behind by a massive, chubby hand as I was brought to dangle in front of the Goblin King's ugly face.

"Well played little dwarf thing." He grinned at me wickedly. "But now, you have no bargaining power. And no friends to help you." I grimaced as his words struck me.

"Your right." I admitted, defeated. "But if I'm gonna die…"

"Oh goody, here comes a last request." The huge Goblin mocked, gettin' a huge cheer from the surroundin' goblins, which, to my horror, seemed a lot less. The dwarves were probably already under attack.

"If I'm gonna die…" I said again, swingin' my blade up at the Goblin King's hand, forcin' him to drop me as he hollered in pain. I landed firmly on the ground and looked up, readyin' my weapon. "I'm gonna die fightin'!"

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Soooooo? What do you think? Please tell me! And please don't hate me either. You probably will halfway through the next chapter though.


	20. Chapter 20: A sacrifice made

3000 views! WOO HOO! I am Sooooooooo excited for this chapter. I had SUCH an amazing time writing it. Please don't hate me.

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the film.

Please enjoy! Maybe grab a box of tissues, jk jk. Enjoy!

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Fili glanced towards his younger brother, which he dragged behind him by the arm as the company rushed through the maze of passages. Fortunately, Kili had stopped resisting his elder brother, but to Fili's dismay, he still protested heavily.

"We have to back for her!" Kili repeated, still thinking frantically of how to save the girl. "We can't just abandon her like this!" Thorin halted, causing the rest of the company to slow down in confusion. The king turned to his nephew.

"Kili." He looked into the young archers wide eyes. "She knew the risks when she began that gamble."

"Risks? We're leaving her there to _die_!" Kili shouted at his uncle. "How can you just ignore-"

"Do you think you are the only one who feels this loss?" Thorin barked quickly. Kili, startled at his uncle's outburst, looked around at the rest of the company. On the faces of his fellow dwarves hid the pain he was feeling.

"Then… Why won't you help her?" the dark haired archer asked quietly, still confused. Thorin looked down, his nephew's innocence would be his downfall.

"Laurëel knew that by doing what she did, she was trading her life for ours." Thorin looked into the younger dwarf's child-like eyes. Kili began to speak again, but Thorin cut him off gently. "If we go back now, she will have wasted her life for nothing. Do not dishonor her last intention that way." Fili looked away. He could not stand seeing his little brother's face.

"We must go." Dwalin broke in, disrupting the silence. "We don't have long before the goblins come after us again. The girl will give us as much time as she can. Let's not waste it any longer." Thorin nodded to the tall dwarf and turned away from his nephew. Fili smacked his brother on the back, trying to give him comfort and get him moving at the same time. The dwarves started forward again, only to halt as they heard the goblins screech and holler collectively. The sound of thousands of feet rushing along wooden planks reached the companies ears. Kili's face fell. The goblins were coming for them. Which meant…

"Hurry!" Thorin called from the front. "Run!" Kili turned away from the path they had just come from and rushed after the other dwarves. Fili followed behind him closely, protecting his little brother's open back. The dwarves charged forward swiftly, until they realized they were hopelessly lost. The sounds of the goblins were right behind them now. Fili glanced behind him to see a stream of goblins no more than thirty paces behind them.

"Look out!" Bofur called out from the front. Goblins started coming forward from in front of them.

"We're trapped!" Dori cried, looking back and forth frantically.

"This way you fools!" a voice called to them. The dwarves looked around frantically to see a gray clad man motioning to the company from a narrow, shadowed path.

"Gandalf!" Ori smiled. The lone man headed into the darkness, quickly followed by the thirteen dwarves. The goblins filled in behind them.

The next moments passed by in a blur as Kili charged forward blindly, slaying as many of the foul creatures as he could. Fili did his best to keep his brother heading after the others. The lion haired brother felt like a cattle herder as he steered the young archer onward. The dwarves had lost count of how many goblins they had sent tumbling to their deaths over the cliff. They just focused on keep their feet moving and their swords swinging. After splitting and crossing each other several times on the maze of paths, they finally all regrouped behind Gandalf as he charged forward, navigating the tunnels adeptly. Than, they all came to a screeching halt as the Goblin King burst from the path in front of them. He climbed onto the pathway as the company stared on in horror.

"What are you going to do now wizard?" The huge goblin grinned evilly. Kili's eyes widened I horror as he saw a limp form dragged behind the Great Goblin.

"Laurëel!" He screamed in anguish. The Goblin King turned his gaze to the young dwarf and smiled.

"Oh, this?" He shifted his grip, so he was grabbing a fistful off the girl's bloodstained braids. He watched the small dwarf's face closely as he dragged the body in front of him, raising the head slightly, bringing the body up with it a little, the legs still dragging along the ground. "She had some spirit. But she didn't last long." The Goblin King chuckled in delight as the dwarf's face twisted in pain and anger.

"You BASTARD!" Kili shouted in anger.

"Kili no!" Fili tried to stop his brother, but the young archer had already charged at the hulking monster. The Great Goblin chuckled and swung his club at the dwarf's head. Kili dodged it at the last second, still pushing forward, his sword raised.

"You want to join her that badly?" The huge goblin laughed. "What are you going to do?" The angry dwarf brought his sword down heavily at the goblin's protruding stomach. The blade cut deep before it was pulled out again. The goblin stared down for a moment before nodding. "That'll do it." And he collapsed to the wood, which creaked under his weight. Kili turned quickly to Laurëel's motionless body; her hair had been released as the Goblin King fell. The distraught archer started towards her body. But he lurched sideways, as did the rest of the company. The section of path began crumbling and soon, the company was sliding down the steep cliff on the wood. Kili grabbed Laurëel's body as quickly as he could and held it close as he fell down the cliff with the others. The wooden structure and the dwarves landed at the bottom with a solid impact. Gandalf jumped at the last second and managed to land on his feet. Laurëel's body tumbled out of the wreckage.

"Well that could have been worse." Bofur commented. No sooner had he spoken, than the large form of the Great Goblin dropped on top of them. They let out a collective groan.

"You have got to be joking!" Dwalin said through gritted teeth. Kili's eyes widened as he looked up, half of him still trapped beneath the wreckage.

"Gandalf!" He cried in alarm. Everyone looked up to see a swarm of goblins crawling quickly down the steep cliff after them.

"There's too many! We can't fight them!" Dwalin called.

"Only one thing will save us, daylight. Come on! On your feet!" Gandalf started helping dwarves out from under wood and goblin. Kili squirmed out from the wood and hurried to Laurëel's side. He quickly grabbed the girl's body and lifted her up in his arms. Fili followed closely behind his little brother again. He wouldn't be able to defend himself carrying the girl. Gandalf quickly rushed to the front and led the company forward. The wizard turned the corner and saw the light of the exit. He stepped to the side and ushered the dwarves passed him. The company ran out of the mountain and rushed through the pines before stopping in a little clearing. Gandalf quickly turned and started counting the little folk around him.

Kili collapsed at last on the ground and held Laurëel's limp form close to him. The other dwarves stood by in silence. Only the young archer's sobs could be heard in the clearing. Gandalf stopped counting midway and looked over at the grieving dwarf. Kili buried his head in the girl's neck, his sobs already fading into a quiet weep. No one could think of anything to do. How could they comfort such grief? Then, Kili's body became unnaturally still.

"Kili?" Fili asked, startled. His younger brother looked up at him, his eyes wide. The young archer's words could barely be heard.

"She's still breathing." He whispered. Everyone started forward at once, but Thorin held them back as Gandalf approached. Kili reluctantly set the girl down upon the ground as Gandalf examined her state. Finally, he closed his eyes, and very quietly, so that no one heard, he mumbled what seemed to be some kind of incantation before stepping back. Kili stared at the motionless form intently, as did the rest of the dwarves. Then, after a long silence, Laurëel's eyes flitted open. Kili's face immediately broke into the biggest smile ever seen. Laurëel started to slowly prop herself on her elbows, but she was instantly clobbered in a huge hug from the young archer. The company cheered and let out cries of relief. Gandalf stood back, smiling a little proudly. Laurëel froze as she registered Kili's embrace.

"Ow." She croaked out. Kili immediately realized her.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

"Welcome back lass." Bofur smiled, patting the girl on the back gently. Laurëel looked up at him, still in a daze. Even Thorin was smiling.

"Uh… thanks." Laurëel managed to smile.

"How are you feeling?" Oin asked, ever the physician.

"Bad." Laurëel admitted. "My head is poundin' like I just drunk three times my weight in beer." She said, swaying a little on the spot as she tried to stand up. Kili immediately grabbed her around the waist to help steady her. "I think I'll be fine though. Just give me a minute."

"You'll need more than a minute after what you've been through lass." Balin chuckled, causing the rest of the group to chuckle also. Laurëel started but stopped again as her head began swimming again.

"I think you may be right about that." She sighed. Then she looked around, somewhat confused. "Where's Bilbo?" Gandalf looked around in alarm. Thorin's smile vanished instantly.

"Where is our Hobbit?" Gandalf asked, looking around as well.

"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost?" Dwain growled angrily.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin said in confusion.

"Don't blame me!" Dori said defensively.

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked desperately.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us." Nori said, pointing over his shoulder hesitantly.

"What happen exactly?" Gandalf turned to the dwarf. "Tell me."

"I'll tell you what happened!" Thorin spoke up as heads turned to him. "Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone." Everyone looked around, crestfallen.

"No, he isn't." heads turned quickly to see the very hobbit standing in front of them. Gandalf laughed.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life." The wizard smiled.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili laughed.

"How on earth did you get passed the goblins?" Fili asked, astounded.

"How indeed?" Bilbo mused. There was a moment of silence before the hobbit laughed awkwardly.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back." Gandalf said quickly. Laurëel looked up quickly, glancing up the hill from which they had come. Kili looked over at her in concern.

"It matters." Thorin said quickly. "I want to know. Why did you come back?" Bilbo looked at the dwarf in surprise.

"Look, I know you doubt me." Bilbo started. "I know you always have. And you're right! I often think of Bag end. I miss my books… and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back." Bilbo shrugged looking around at the dwarves. "Cause you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

"Everyone…" Laurëel spoke, her voice full of alarm. The company turned quickly to see a figure standing atop the hill; he sat upon a white warg. The orc yelled some words in orcish and the dwarves looked back at him.

"Out of the frying pan…" Thorin started, sighing.

"And into the fire." Gandalf finished, huffing in annoyance. "Run!"

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Okay, I can honestly say that was my longest and so far, saddest chapter I have ever written. I almost cried while writing it cause I'm such a crybaby.

Please review! I really want to know what you think of this one!


	21. Chapter 21: Into the fire

Okay! Well, as it was said, out of the frying pan and into the fire! I have realized that my action sequences are just me telling what happened in the movie, so I'm gonna try to focus on Laurëel as much as possible.

Disclaimer: I am very terribly sad to inform you that I don't on the hobbit. So terrible. And I don't own the lines from the movie either! I don't know if I can handle this!

Please enjoy and review!

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My head pounded louder than the hoard of wargs chargin' down upon us as Kili pushed me forward quickly. Shapes and lights swam before my eyes and my stomach was twistin' and knottin' painfully. My legs felt like jelly as they rushed over root and rock. But I stayed on my feet, and I kept movin' forward. That is, until the company arrived at a huge cliff. We turned back to look at the wargs quickly approachin'. A few of the faster lot reached us already and were quickly dealt with by the dwarves.

"Up! Into the trees, all of you!" Gandalf called. Kili and Fili helped me quickly into on of the trees. I focused on not cryin' out in pain as Fili pulled me up by the arms. A cry would just rile up the wargs more if they knew one of their prey was wounded. As if they couldn't smell my blood clearly enough. The thought sent a shiver down my spine and I tried my hardest to force my limbs to move.

"Climb higher!" Kili called from beneath me as he jumped into the tree. I gritted my teeth and forced myself higher into the pine's tight, needled branches. I looked below me, thankful that my elven blood provided me with a thinner, lighter frame.

"They're coming!" Someone shouted. I grabbed the branch I was on quickly as the tree shook violently, nearly knockin' me off. I glanced down in alarm. The giant wargs were launchin' themselves at the lower branches, their powerful jaws snappin' wildly as they tore off huge branches with their teeth. But, fortunately, all the dwarves were out of their reach. We seemed to be in a stalemate until the tree I clung to groaned ominously. The ground that held the pine's roots had loosened and the huge trunk began to lean dangerously to the side.

"Jump!" Kili shouted up to me. I looked up, terrified at the other pine that I was quickly approachin'. I took a deep breath, fightin' down the throbbin' in my head, and jumped. Terror filled my body for the brief moment of air, and then I crashed painfully into a nest of pine branches. I grabbed quickly for a branch to keep myself from fallin' into the waitin' jaws below me. Then the next tree began to fall. I braced myself for the next jump I knew I had to make. The next moment I was crashin' into another tree, only to feel it start sliddin' down too. I looked up to see one last tree before there was nothin' but air. It was too far of a jump. I closed my eyes tight as someone else jumped right past me. I was going to fall to my death, wasn't I?

"Laurëel!" I looked up to see Kili in the other tree, motionin' for me to jump. I didn't move. "Trust me." He stared straight into my eyes. I had run out of time. My tree tumbled down towards the cliff as I, at the last moment, pushed off as hard as I could. Only one thought filled my head as I felt myself movin' through empty air. _I'm goin' to die. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead._ My eyes were clamped shut in horror. Then, two strong arms grasped around me and I was pulled safely into the lone pine that stood on the very tip of the cliff. My heart beated as if I had just sprinted to Mordor and back as I looked down at the tree I had just been in moments ago tumble to the ground miles below. I looked up and found myself starin' straight into two large brown eyes. "You okay?" Kili asked.

"No." I said, my face unchangin'. "But I am alive." We both grabbed branches firmly as a warg slammed its body into the remainin' pine tree. "Though I might not be for much longer."

"Fili!" Gandalf called, tossin' a flamin' pinecone to the blonde haired dwarf. Soon, all the dwarves were throwin' the little fiery things toward the wargs, drivin' them away. Kili cheered as the wargs turned tail. But his wide grin was immediately wiped away as the ground beneath the pine loosed and the roots slipped out of the dirt. The tree timbered down and halted in a horizontal position hangin' over empty air. The jolt shook me loose and I slipped from my branch. But Kili grabbed me quickly by the arm, leavin' my feet danglin' in my air. His face twisted as he tired his hardest to hang on to his own branch and me at the same time. I reached my other arm up and we both pulled our arms toward each other, raisin' me up to the branch. I grabbed the branch as quickly as I could, Kili relaxed slightly now that I had a gotten hold of the tree.

"Thanks, I owe you one." I smiled briefly at the young archer, gaspin' for breath.

"Don't thank me yet." Kili said.

"Why?" I ask, puzzled.

"Because you can't repay me when we're hanging for our lives." He smiled a little deviously. I sighed, though I could feel a smile slippin' onto my face.

"You really have no sense of timin', do you?" Then the two looked over as Thorin stood up on the trunk slowly. "Great, we'll get out of here yet!" I grinned. But Thorin did not start helpin' dwarves up. He stared straight ahead at a large pale orc. Anger rushed over the dwarf's face as he charged forward. But the orc just urged his white warg forward, knockin' the dwarven king to the ground. I looked away as the pale orc came back around, swingin' his mace into Thorin's head.

"Thorin!" Dwalin shouted, tryin' to get up and help his king, but his branch snapped and he swung back down again. I looked back to see Thorin bein' flung from the white wargs jaws to a large rock. The pale orc mumbled somethin' arrogantly in orcish to one of his minions. The other orc dismounted his warg and approached the fallen dwarf. He raised a blade over her head preparin' to behead the king. It was my urgrosh. That filthy orc had his hands on my weapon! I thought I had lost it in the goblin tunnels. But there it was, about to decapitate the leader of our company. Then, a little hobbit body slammed into the orc, knockin' it too the ground. Dwalin and some of the other dwarves had gotten up in the meantime. Fili grabbed Kili's arm and helped his brother up. Kili looked back at me.

"Go." I urged him. "I'll be fine." Kili smiled and turned to go defend his king. My reassurin' smile slipped away. That's what I said, but my arms were about to give away any second. I clung hard to the branch, usin' every last ounce of energy in my arms. And at last, my muscles couldn't hold on any longer. The air rushed past me as I fell down. My mind stopped as I tumbled to the ground, it was surreal. Like a dream. But, at the same time, it was the realist feelin' I had ever felt. I was goin' to die. There was no way I could make it out of this one. That was, of course, because I hadn't seen the giant eagles.

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Always take into account giant eagles. Very important thing to remember. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you thought!


	22. Chapter 22: On eagles wings

Okay! Not much to say, so Please enjoy! And review if your not to busy. It makes me really happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit :( or the lines from the movie :'(

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The next thing I knew was that I was lying on feathers. And I was flying. I cracked open an eye to see mountains rush past me. I closed me eyes again. _I'm not dead. This… isn't a dream. It feels too real._ I opened my eyes again. A pale golden sun had begun to peek up over the mountain range, which I flew through. _I'm on a giant eagle._ I realized. The bird's powerful muscles moved smoothly beneath her.

"Thorin!" Fili's voice called out, bringin' me to my senses. I sat up slowly. The rest of the company also rode on more of the large birds around me. It was peaceful, except for the worry that hung in the air. I looked in alarm at the body of Thorin restin' in the claws of one of the eagles. I swayed in my seat and put my head down again against the bird's feathers, feelin' horribly lightheaded.

_Is the little girl all right?_ I looked up quickly. What was that? Then I groaned at my sudden movement.

_She'll be fine. Her wounds are not fatal._ A slightly different voice answered the other. The speech seemed to echo, and I wasn't sure if it was in my mind or not. From the expressions of the other dwarves, they had not heard it. I caught the eagle I rode, glance at me with an intelligent eye.

"Are you talkin' about me?" I whispered to the bird, feelin' silly.

_I most certainly am little girl._ I stared at the bird, eyes wide. _Are you a wizard then? Since you seem to hear us._

_What is the matter Hajari? _A nobler voice echoed in my ear.

_The dwelven girl can hear us Lord Gwaihir. _The one I rode responded. Dwelven? I'm a dwelf then?

_Can she indeed? Gandalf, you did not tell me you had another wizard in your company._ I caught Gandalf's curious eye look down at me. I gulped.

_I was not aware._ Gandalf's voice echoed in my head.

_Can you speak it too?_ The eagle beneath me asked, curiously. I tried focusin' my mind to reply without talkin'. It didn't work.

"I don't think so." I whispered to the eagle.

_I understand you curiosity Hajari._ Lord Gwaihir scolded the other eagle lightly. _But at the moment, I am sure the girl is worried about her king._ I heard no more talk from the eagles for the rest of the flight until I heard the eagle lord instruct the others. _Set them down on there._ As soon as Gwaihir ordered so, the eagles began circlin' down towards a small plateau that was shaped similar to that of a bear. An eagle, with extreme care, set Thorin gently down on the rock face. Gwaihir landed next to him, allowin' Gandalf to slip off and hurry to Thorin's side. The gray wizard crouched next to the motionless king as the rest of the company were dropped off. I quickly raised my hand to catch my urgrosh that one of the eagles dropped above me. I quickly slung my dear blade across my back and looked at the others. The dwarves watched Thorin intently, keepin' a safe distance back. They all started breathin' again as the dwarf king's eyes flitted open. The first thing that came out of his mouth was.

"The halfing?" He asked the wizard.

"It's alright. Bilbo is here. He is quite safe." The wizard replied with a smile. Bilbo looked up, surprised that his name was mentioned. Dwalin and Kili quickly rushed to Thorin's side as he tried to get up. As soon as he was on his feet, the dwarf shrugged them off and turned to the hobbit, his face full of seriousness.

"You." He spat. Bilbo looked up, startled. The dwarves exchanged glances. I just glowered in the back. Not surprised by Thorin's unbridled anger. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you had no place amongst us?" I growled in the back of my throat. Fili looked back at me with a warnin' glance. I ignored him. But, through all my anger, I was taken completely by surprise at what the dwarven king did next. Thorin grasped Bilbo in the biggest hug I had ever seen. "I have never been so wrong, in all my life!" Bilbo's face, after bein' confused for a moment, broke into a smile. The dwarves cheered in relief. I just stood there, feelin' to weary and tired to register completely what had just happened. But I smiled slightly.

"No, I would have doubted me too." Bilbo started as Thorin released him. "I'm not a hero, or a warrior… not even a burglar." He said, givin' Gandalf a look. Everyone chuckled at this. Then, to my further surprise, Thorin turned to me.

"And you." His smile still on his lips as he approached me, the dwarves partin' so he could get through. For some reason, I felt undiscernibly scared. "You have proven yourself far braver than I would have ever imagined you would be."

"Even though I'm half elf?" I asked, wincin' at how high pitched my voice was.

"Even so." Thorin nodded. "Not only did you risk your life for us back in the goblin tunnels, but you knew full well what your fate would be when you decided to save us." The dwarves cheered at this also.

"We're not going to hug-" But before I could finish, Thorin pulled me into the same bone crushin' hug he had given Bilbo. "Okay…" I said quickly, wincin' in pain as my wounds ached in protest. He let me go, still smilin'. Gloin gave me a pat on the back and Dwalin rubbed my head roughly. Even Balin gave me a small wink. At this I finally broke. My face broke into a huge grin and laughed happily.

_Goodbye little dwelven girl!_ I heard from behind me. I turned to see the eagles flyin' off back to the mountain. I waved farewell to them and I saw one turn behind to look at me. I can tell it's smilin'. The other dwarves looked at me strangely and I quickly put my arm down, feelin' foolish. Bilbo, thankfully, distracted the company's attention as he spoke up.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked starin' ahead. Everyone turned to see where he and Thorin were lookin'.

"Erebor." Gandalf smiled. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of middle earth."

"Our Home." Thorin breathed wondrously. I stared in wonder at the silhouette of the lone peak. But my attention was drawn as I heard a cheery little tune whistle through the air above us. I looked up to see a thrush fly through the air whistlin' merrily.

_And we'll fly fly fly _

_All day day day _

_When snails are on the wind!_

_But shy shy shy_

_Away away away _

_From dragons that may be lurking!_

I'll give the rhyme scheme was a little off, but it sounded very happy. The rest of the dwarves looked up at it. They seemed to see nothin' unnatural about the bird.

"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!" Oin called out happily. Gandalf corrected him, sayin' it was a thrush, not a raven.

"Well, we'll take it as a sign." Thorin smiled. "A good omen."

"Your right." Bilbo agreed. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"Don't jinx us." I laughed. The rest of the company laughed along. I looked around at the faces that surrounded me. Every one of them belonged to someone I could consider a friend. At least, for now, I had found a place to call home.

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Awwwwwwww... I am so bad at ending chapters...

Anyway, please review! I really love feedback.


	23. Chapter 23: Authors note

Hello Readers!

I came upon the unfortunate realization that I would not be able to keep up this pace of one chapter a day all the way till the opening of the third hobbit movie. Therefore, I will be limiting my updates to once a week. I figured the end of the first movie would be a good place to switch over.

Thanks so so so so so so much for all the reviews I've been getting! It really keeps my fingers flying!

Please don't give up on me yet! I will _definitely_ keep writing! Well... as long as at least one person keeps reading!

Thank you for all the support! And I look forward to next weeks update!

The BugSlayer ^-^


	24. Chapter 24: Atop the carrock

OH MAN! It feels like AGES since my last update! Okay, I'll let you get to reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or any of the lines from the movie.

Enjoy!

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I laid flat on my back, starin' up at the darkenin' sky. The cold stone of the plateau felt good on my bare arms, which felt completely stiff and tired. The entire company had spent the entire day driftin' in and out of sleep a top the high rock. We were all exhausted by the previous day and night. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gandalf motionin' for me to come over. I was half tempted to ignore the old wizard, but slowly, I got up and walked over stiffly to the gray wizard.

"I believe we need to have a little talk." Gandalf raised an eyebrow.  
"About?" I questioned.

"You, hearing the eagles." The wizard clarified.

"Oh. That." I said blankly, suddenly feelin' tired again.

"Have you ever heard animals speak before?" He asked curiously. I shook my head.

"I was completely startled when I heard it." Gandalf looked at me troubled. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" I grimaced at the old man's silence.

"No." Gandalf assured me. "It is just troubling that you have developed this ability. What is that?" I followed his gaze to see the silver chain that hung under my shirt. I grabbed it and pulled out the trinket at the end.

"This?" I asked, makin' sure that's what he was talkin' about. "It's just somthin' I found in the troll's cave. Tathren strung it onto a chain for me back at Rivendell." The wizard extended an open palm and I slipped off the pendant, settin' it in Gandalf's gloved hand. He examined it in interest. He gave a little humph of realization as he turned it around.

"It seems we found the cause of your new found abilities." He said, lookin' at me briefly before readin' the inscription on the back. "Lastilye, Quenilye." He murmured in elvish.

"What does that mean?" I asked warily. He looked back up at me, rememberin' that I was still there.

"Well, to put it in the common tongue, it means 'Hear all, speak all.'" He chuckled slightly at my blank stare. "It is filled with a powerful magic that allows its wearer to hear the tongues of most animals." He handed it back to me, slowly. I received it into my own, dirty hand.

"But not orc speech?" I asked, lookin' at the thing in wonder.

"Why do you ask?" Gandalf inquired.

"Well, I couldn't understand a word those orcs were sayin'." I shrugged.

"Curious." He hummed to himself, fingerin' his long beard. Then he just stared out thoughtfully across the landscape. After an awkward moment slowly walked away, the pendant still in my hands. I plopped down at the edge of the plateau, away from the others, fingers tracin' the delicate curves of the moon shaped silver. A body sat down next to me and I quickly slipped the thing over my neck and tucked it under my shirt.

"My apologies for disturbing you." I looked over quickly, surprised to hear the voice and see the face of Thorin sittin' next to me. "But there is a matter I wish to discuss with you." My eyes narrowed.

"Well? Spit it out then. No point dancin' around." I said, a bit harshly than I would have liked. Thorin stared at me, analyzin', before lookin' forward and beginin'.

"After we left you in the goblin tunnels…" A shiver crept down my spine involuntarily at the thought. "We were all in pain." Even Thorin himself? I was surprised to say the least. "But Kili was by far the most distraught." I didn't like where this was goin'.

"Can you get straight to the point?" I asked, tryin' not to sound to irritated. Thorin inhaled angrily and looked over towards me.

"My nephew has become rather _attached_ to you." He explained.

"Nephew?" I stared at the dwarf in confusion. "I didn't even know you _had_ a nephew! Let alone met him!" Thorin stared back at me in shock.

"You did not know?" The dwarven king asked. "Fili and Kili are my nephews. I am there uncle." I shut my mouth quickly. "They are my sister's sons. They are my heirs." I continued to stare at Thorin before finally openin' my mouth.

"So _that's_ why you're so over protective of them!" I said, maybe a bit to loudly as other dwarves glanced curiously at us. I quickly lowered my voice. "So that makes them princes, doesn't it?"

"Yes." Thorin answered, annoyed at my slowness.

"Sorry. What were you sayin'?" I asked, tryin' to finish the conversation quickly before I embarrassed myself to death.

"As I was saying," Thorin growled. "My nephew has become rather attached to you."

"I'll try my best not to die?" I promised weakly, unsure of what the dwarf meant by that statement.

"I believe he is beginning to see you as more than just a friend." Thorin continued. My eyes opened wide. Before narrowin' again.

"Is this some kind of joke? Am I supposed to laugh now? Bofur put you up to this, didn't he?" I asked, painfully aware of how much I was talkin'. Thorin just stared straight at me, face unmovin'. I quickly closed my mouth and looked away from the older dwarf.

"I am warning you now, do not give him hope where none should be found." Thorin's deep voice rumbled.

"Oh." I said, tryin' to sound nonchalant. "I see." Thorin continued to stare at me, pressin' me to show more of an understandin'. "He's a prince. And I'm not. I'm not even a complete dwarf." I snorted.

"It's good to know that you see it from my point of view." Thorin nodded, startin' to get up.

"Oh no, I completely understand. Wouldn't want a _half breed_ like me to mess up you royal line." I stood up in a huff and stormed away from the tip of the plateau, feelin' trapped on the small rock. The rest of the company had begun to settle down for the night. I plopped myself between Bilbo and the edge with a huff. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why didn't you just assure him that you have no interest in his precious little nephew?_ I berated myself mentally.

"Is everything alright Laurëel?" Kili's voice asked from behind me.

"Perfectly fine, _your majesty_." I hissed, not botherin' to look at him I curled up on the cold stone.

"It's dangerous to be so close to the edge." He continued, not gettin' the hint. "Move in closer with the rest of us."

"Just leave me alone!" I shouted, clampin' my hands over my ears and pullin' myself into an even tighter ball. The dark haired archer said no more. But, even through my covered ears, I heard Fili consolin' his brother lightly.

"It's alright Kili. We've all just had a long day." the older brother said reassuringly. A knot twisted in my stomach. I felt miserable as silent tears streamed down my face.

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*sniff sniff* poor kili

Anyway, what did you think? Please review! I love feedback!


	25. Chapter 25: Dream of days gone by

Not much to say this time! Just getting one more post in before I start school. I'll keep updating though! so don't worry.

Disclaimer:I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

This chapter is a flashback. Enjoy!

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Fili wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his equally sweaty hand. He stabbed his sword into the hard ground and caught his breath. Dwalin sat back on a large stump, equally sweaty and out of breath, but he hid it better. The two had just finished one of the last training spars they ever had with each other as master and pupil.

"You fought well young prince." Dwalin nodded approvingly, a hint of amusement in his deep voice.

"As did you." Fili replied, standing up straight, even though his breathe still come in heavy gasps.

"Of course." Dwalin snorted. "I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't challenge you a little." Fili laughed at this and looked at the ground before looking back up at the tall dwarf.

"You weren't fighting your hardest, were you?" Fili guessed correctly.

"One learns nothing if he is beaten too badly." Dwalin nodded.

"I thank you then for teaching me." Fili nodded.

"Yes. I'll see you same time tomorrow." Dwalin said getting up and leaving with his twin axes. Fili pulled out his sword from the ground and slid it tiredly into the sheath at his hip. The lion haired prince walked slowly from the worn turf of their makeshift training grounds at the root of the mountains and up into the deep rocks. He paused as he looked over the land. Far in the distance, Fili could see the shoreline, faint and blue in the beginnings of the sunset. The dwarf turned away and continued up the rock path to a small hut built into the side of the mountain. It was small and quaint; one would not have expected all of the survivors of Erebor to be housed in this tiny shelter. But of course, they were dwarves. Fili opened the small door and walked into a decently large cavern. The walls were rough, but wide. Paths and stairs led to separate, smaller caves housing separate families. Happy dwarves milled about the vast cavern, the older ones chatting with one another, and the children running about and playing gaily. Fili started towards the largest sub cave at the end of the cavern. The one that housed the line of Durin and its closest relatives. Kili ran quickly to his brother as soon as he spotted him.

"How did training go Fili?" Kili asked, clearly excited about something else. He looked up at his older brother who still stood half a head taller than him.

"It was tiresome." Fili admitted. "What are you so excited about?" Kili grinned at his older brother mischievously.

"I'm going to be taller than you." The dark haired brother smirked.

"In your dreams little brother. I am now, and always will be, taller than you." Fili laughed, rubbing his brother's already messy hair. Kili quickly swiped his brother's hand away from his head, scowling.

"I asked Mister Balin." Kili raised an eyebrow cockily. "He said I'm taller now than you were at my age."

"That doesn't prove anything!" Fili scoffed.

"Oh doesn't it?" Kili challenged.

"Don't let it bother you Kili." A lighter voice cut in. The two brothers turned to see two she-dwarves standing next to them. They were both Fili's age. The darker haired of the girls continued speaking. "Girls like shorter dwarves anyway." She winked at the younger brother, smiling sweetly.

"But I don't care about that!" Kili protested. "I want to be taller than Fili!"

"In that case, make sure to drink your milk." The girl suggested.

"Don't encourage him Mila!" Fili looked at the girl in astonishment.

"Don't bother Mila." The other girl interjected, glaring at the brothers. "They may be princes, but your wasting your time on dwarves like them. One of them doesn't even have a beard!"

"Take that back!" Kili growled stepping toward the red haired she dwarf, who just stuck her tongue out at the younger dwarf.

"Behave yourself Kili!" Fili scolded, pulling his younger brother back roughly. Kili crossed his arms angrily and glared at the arrogant girl.

"Speaking of beards…" Mila said, changing the subject. "You're mustache is growing out nicely." She said, looking at Fili's facial hair.

"Uh, you think?" Fili rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"It would look really nice braided. Maybe give it a couple weeks." Mila assessed expertly. "Once it does get long enough… you'll let me braid it… right?" The other three looked at her, astounded.

"Mila!" the red haired dwarf cried in shock. Fili just stammered, completely baffled. Kili just looked back and forth between his brother and the dark haired she-dwarf. Until, sensing his brother's silence getting awkward stepped on his foot subtly.

"Ow!" Fili cried out slightly, coming back to his senses. "Um, I mean… y-yeah… I would like that." Mila blushed slightly, as did Fili.

"Okay then." Mila smiled bashfully. "I'll hold you to that." And she quickly turned away, the other she dwarf following behind her muttering with excitement.

"I can't believe you were so forward like that!" Fili just stared after the two retreating backs for a moment until Kili elbowed him in the side. The elder brother looked down at the younger, who raised his eyebrows, smirking.

"Smooth." Kili teased. "Real smooth." Fili just shoved his brother away and continued towards their cave. Kili rushed past him just as he entered, pushing the curtain to the side briefly. "Mom! Mom!" Kili rushed through the earthen hall. Dis poked her head out of one of the stone rooms in alarm.

"Kili? What is it?" the large woman asked wondering whether she should be worried or not.

"You won't believe what just happened!" Kili stopped in front of his mother, practically bouncing.

"Stop making such a big deal out of it!" Fili hissed at his brother, walking in slower.

"What's happening?" Thorin asked, walking down the hall. He must have gotten back from the forge a little while ago, because sweat still glistened on his brow. Dis shrugged to her older brother, just as confused as he was.

"Nothing!" Fili said quickly, his ears turning red. Now his uncle was here too. Great Kili. Just, great.

"Mila just proposed!" Kili practically yelled.

"To you?" Dis asked in alarm, staring wide eyed at her youngest son.

"No, to Fili!" the dark haired boy said, rolling his eyes.

"Go tell the world why don't you?" Fili huffed. Dis and Thorin both turned to look at the older son now.

"Is this true?" Dis inquired, holding her breath.

"She asked to braid my mustache once in got long enough." Fili said, looking anywhere but his mother and uncle's prying eyes.

"And?" Thorin prompted.

"And I told her she could." Fili finished finally, adding quickly. "Can I go now?" But he was quickly enveloped by Dis and her brother's huge hugs. "Ow. Ow! Can you let go of me now- Mom, are you crying?" Fili asked in shock, seeing tears on the corners of his mother's eyes.

"Oh, quiet you!" she scolded him lightly through tears and light sobs.

"What's going on?" Balin asked as he and Dwalin entered through the door.

"Mila and Fili just got engaged!" Kili piped up quickly, eager to share the news.

"Not yet!" Fili corrected his brother urgently.

"Well, she did propose." Kili pointed out. Putting on a show for the new pairs of eyes. "And you did say yes."

"In a couple weeks!" Fili hissed. "My beard isn't long enough yet." Balin chuckled merrily.

"Well, young Kili," Balin began. "At least the pressure is off you." Kili sighed in relief dramatically, wiping his perfectly dry brow.

"Phew!" He let out a sigh. Everyone but Fili laughed.

"I'm going to bed." The lion haired brother sighed, trying to squirm out of the small group of dwarves.

"Bed?" Thorin asked in surprise. "This is cause for celebration!"

"It's not official yet!" Fili insisted again. "She can still back out if she wants to." The laughter fell away and Fili stormed quickly to his room.

"Ah, poor lad." Balin shook his head sympathetically. "I feel his unease." The adults nodded in agreement as Kili just looked back and forth confused.

"Still." Dis began, a smile returned to her merry face. "I can't begin to imagine how happy he must be feeling right now."

Years later, an older, wiser, sadder Fili awoke with a start. He glanced around at his sleeping companions, who snored loudly. Why? Why did he have to dream about her now? Why couldn't he just forget her already? The rhetorical question repeated in his mind as he absentmindedly stroked the beads at the ends of his mustache. A thin smile crept on to his saddened face. What a ridiculous question? How could anyone forget someone like her?

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Welllll? What did you think? Please let me know! I'm excited to find out!


	26. Chapter 26 The hunted

And now we begin Movie two! The Desolation of Smaug. *Evil Grin*

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or any of the lines from the movie.

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The light was strange and unearthly as the company awaited the arrival of Bilbo. Though the sun shone, lightin' the surroundin's, the sky was dark and cloudy. I sat miserably on the ground, far away from the others, my braids still stained with the blood of goblins and my own. Ever since Thorin's little warnin' and then my brilliant display of hatred towards Kili, the company had tiptoed around me like I was a dragon myself. I had not spoken more than three words since that night. I had counted. We had been constantly on the run to avoid the pale orc and his minions. I was weary of it. I just wanted it to all be done. Kili seemed the most hurt by my withdrawn behavior. Had Thorin been right after all? My teeth gritted again as I thought about the words of the dwarven king. _Do not give him hope where none should be found._

Instead, I had spent my time explorin' the abilities of my pendant. The lack of animals around made this difficult, but I had discovered, that if I really focused, I could understand Bifur's dwarven speech. Apparently it wasn't just animals I could understand. Though their language was simpler and I soon became used to hearin' their words in my head instead of the normal sounds I was used to. Everyone jumped up as Bilbo rushed into the clearin'.

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked the breathless hobbit immediately.

"Too close." Bilbo breathed heavily, bendin' over to catch his breath. "A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it!" He looked up quickly.

"Have the wargs picked up your scent?" Dwalin questioned, suddenly nervous.

"Not yet, but they will. We have another problem!" Bilbo began again.

"Did they see you? They saw you." Gandalf started, answerin' his own question.

"No, that's not it!" Bilbo nodded.

"What did I tell you?" Gandalf smiled. "Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." The dwarves all started talkin' at once, chucklin' or commentin' on somethin'.

"Will you listen- will you just listen?" Bilbo tried to get in, exasperatedly.

"SHUT IT!" I hollered over the din, silencin' everyone quickly. Five words. Bilbo looked at me for a second before speakin' in the silence I had given him.

"As I was trying to tell you," Bilbo turned to the company. "There's something else out there!" The dwarves exchanged worried glances.

"What form did he take?" Gandalf questioned slowly. "Like a bear?" He guessed.

"Ye-" Bilbo started before lookin' at Gandalf suspiciously. "Y-yes. But bigger. Much bigger." Bofur looked over at the wizard.

"You knew about the beast?" The wizard's silence answered his question. "I say we double back." The normally cheery dwarf turned to the rest of the company. I just rolled my eyes and tuned the dwarves out. I didn't know what they were talkin' about, but I didn't really care at the moment. Kili looked in my direction worriedly. I caught his eye for a second before turnin' away quickly, realizin' that I had been starin' at him. I hid my head in my arms as I plopped down. My face was most certainly red. After the dwarves finished discussin' what to do next, Bombor came and touched me hesitantly on the shoulder. My head shot up immediately and I turned to the large dwarf.

"We're all tired lass." Bombor said sympathetically. "But Gandalf's leadin' us to a house were we can rest." I just nodded numbly and stood up. I walked after some of the dwarves who were followin' the gray wizard through the rocks. But I heard Nori whisper to Bombor behind me.

"She didn't bite your head off! Impressive." I didn't care to glare at the dwarven thief. I just marched forward in silence. We continued along cautiously until we heard the sound of snarlin' wargs behind us. Then we broke into a run. Our smaller size aided us greatly as we weaved through the trees and underbrush. Suddenly, an earsplittin' roar echoed out from somewhere to our right.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf called out from the front. I turned around to see Bombor stand in shock as the rest of the dwarves rushed past. I sprinted back, grabbin' my uncle's shoulder and givin' him a push after the rest of the dwarves. He snapped out of his shock at my touch and quickly rushed past me after the others, passin' them quickly. I looked behind me, eyes widenin' as a huge hulkin' figure of a bear crashed towards me.

"Laurëel!" Kili's voice shouted to me from farther ahead. I turned quickly and sprinted after the rest of the company.

"To the house! Run!" Gandalf hollered as we break through the trees. All that stands between us and a large, hedge surrounded hut was a stretch of field. I can hear the bear right behind me now as I hurry after the others. The rest of the company were already through the front gate, as I got halfway across the field. "Come on! Get inside!" Gandalf instructed.

"Hurry lass!" Bofur shouted to me from the gateway. I was only a few feet from the front gate when I noticed they were havin' trouble with the large door to the house. The bear roared behind me.

_Trespassers! Filthy dwarves! _He growled in my mind. The dwarves ahead of me still struggled helplessly with the front door. In a moment of insanity, I whipped around and stood my ground. I can't imagine how what I did next looked to the dwarves who were watchin' me worriedly. I opened my mouth, knowin' what I was goin' to say.

_Stop!_ I shouted at the large bear, who skidded to a stop, startled and confused. It probably looked to the dwarves like I had just growled at the bear ten times my size, because they started shoutin' to me. Some of them anyway.

"What are you doin'?" Bofur yelled.

"Hurry up! Get in the gate!" Kili shouted. I ignored both of them and continued to growl at the bear.

_We mean you no harm. We are just travelers. _I tried to reason with it, puttin' my urgrosh away to prove my words.

_You are not welcome here half dwarf!_ The bear growled back.

_We travel with Gandalf the Grey. He will make sure we do not defile this place._ I promised, hopin' the dwarves would actually listen to the wizard.

_Gandalf? Why would the wandering wizard be in the company of dwarves?_ The bear growled in his throat.

_We are bein' hunted by orcs. They will kill us all if we stay out in the open!_ I pleaded.

_Why should I care?_ The bear asked, gettin' angrier. _You are trespassers! Foolish half dwarf!_ I held my hands out in front of me tentatively as the bear began clamberin' towards me.

_Please, try to understand. We're just tryin' to survive_- but I was cut off as Kili pulled me backwards and a giant paw struck the air where I had been only moments before. I turned around and stumbled forward, Kili still graspin' my wrist as he pulled me through the front gate and towards the open door. The rest of the company watched in horror from inside the house as the two of us sprinted forward, the huge bear crashin' behind us. I yelped in pain as I felt sharp teeth sink into my lower arm. Kili yanked me away, causin' the teeth to tear through my skin. The bear growled as he spat out my blood.

"Quickly!" Thorin shouted over the blood pumpin' in my ears. At last, Kili and I dove through the door and tumbled to the floor as the dwarves shoved the door on the bear's large muzzle comin' after us. The dwarves all shoved together and slammed the door shut, slidin' the bar across it. The large beast rammed against the door as I clutched my arm closely to my chest, bitin' my lip to keep from cryin' out. Kili quickly scrambled to my side and tried to look at my arm. I pulled away from him roughly, slidin' a couple of feet away for good measure. I did not look up to see the extremely hurt look on the young archer's face.

"What is that?" Ori asked in a mixture of horror and amazement.

"That…" Gandalf began, lookin' at the door. "Is our host." Everyone looked him in alarm except me, who continued to cradle my arm. "His name is Beorn and he's a shape-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear; sometimes he's a great, strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overly fond of dwarves." _Neither is the bear._ I thought.

"He's leaving!" Ori announced, peakin' through the door. Dori pulled him away quickly.

"Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it is." He said, givin' me a meaningful glare. "It's obvious he's under some dark spell."

"Don't be a fool." Gandalf barked at him. "He's under no enchantment but his own. All right now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." He instructed before glancin' at me and addin' under his breath. "I hope." Then Thorin turns to me angrily.

"And you!" He growled. "What do you think you were doing? You almost got yourself killed!"

"I was buyin' you time!" I snapped back, still holdin' my arm to me. Some of the other dwarves started to notice that I had been wounded. Oin crouched next to me and tried to see my arm, but I continued to pull away from him.

"You were needlessly putting yourself in danger!" Thorin shouted over my excuse. I clamped my mouth shut, but continued to stare at him defiantly. "Act so recklessly again, and I'll send you from the company." With that he turned away, but not before addin'. "Now stop being stubborn and let Oin treat your wound." I quickly shoved away the water poolin' in my eyes and let Oin bring my arm away from my body. The ointment stung, but soon the lower half of my arm was cleaned and wrapped. As soon as it was, I found myself the darkest corner I could and drifted off to sleep.

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Awww :( Sorry for the kind of sad chapter.

Please tell me what you thought of it!


	27. Chapter 27: The house of a Bear

Okay! Time to meet Beorn! Kinda.

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

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Kili watched as Laurëel squeezed herself into a dark corner. His eyebrows furrowed as the girl fell into a fitful slumber. The young archer approached his uncle and asked at him in a hushed voice.

"What did you say to her?" Kili asked accusatorily. Thorin looked at his nephew, unblinking.

"That is no business of yours." Thorin said quickly.

"No business? Have you seen her?" the younger dwarf spat back. "She's acting like some sort of frightened animal!" Thorin opened his mouth, but Kili cut him off again. "And she started acting that way after you talked to her." Thorin glared at the young prince as Fili approached, concerned about the rising voices of his brother and uncle.

"If you must know," Thorin began through gritted teeth. "I warned her not to lead you on." Kili looked at his uncle in shock.

"What?" the young dwarf hissed.

"You are young and foolish." Thorin reasoned. "If you continued to become so attached to her, she would become a distraction for you on the quest. I will not allow that!"

"So what?" Kili scoffed, clearly offended. "You don't trust me to make wise decisions, so you isolate her from the company?"

"That was not my doing!" Thorin snapped back. The eyes of all who were still awake were on them now. "I just told her to keep her distance from you."

"Why? We're nothing more than friends!" Kili said defensively. Fili tried his hardest not to scoff at that.

"Do not take me for a fool Kili." Thorin growled. "I have seen the way you look at her, always there whenever she's in trouble, how distraught you were in the Goblin tunnels." Kili shut his mouth tight and continued to glare at his uncle.

"You think you know me?" he asked eventually. "I have never _once_ thought about her in that way." Bofur looked at the lass in the corner. Thank goodness she was sleeping.

"I cannot explain why she has retracted from the group in this manner." Thorin sighed before turning away. "Everyone get some sleep. We'll need it for the road ahead."

The sun was bright and warm when Laurëel woke up. She felt better rested than she had in ages. Cheery voices filled the air. Laurëel looked around to see lots of animals wandering around comfortably, chatting with one another like old friends. They probably were. A large bee flew over to Laurëel and she raised a hand on which it landed.

_Poor poor girl. _It buzzed. _No pollen. No pollen on you. Smell of death and hurt._

_I apologize for my appearance and smell. I've been on the road too long._ Laurëel buzzed back to the bumblebee.

_Nice nice girl. Beorn, why bite a nice girl like her?_ The bee turned to the extremely large man who was serving the dwarves breakfast. Laurëel had only just noticed their existence, and they had yet to notice that she was awake as they munched happily of good food. The large man, who was even taller than Gandalf, glanced over towards the corner and buzzed in his deep voice.

_For that I apologize. _He said, more to the bee than to Laurëel. _My bear form is very hard to reason with._ Laurëel rolled her eyes at the obvious statement. _I am surprised to hear another speaking that of the animals. _Laurëel just shrugged and pointed to the pendant that she wore. _Ah, I see now. Come, have something to eat before you wither away twig girl._ Laurëel chuckled at that. She had been called many things, but twig girl was not one she had heard before. Then she looked down to see how alarmingly thin she had become. This was enough to raise her to her feet and make her way to the large table. The bee buzzed off as she rose, wincing in pain from the strain on her arm. Right, she had been injured. A bird flapped next to ear tweeting.

_Come little dwelven girl! There is a spring. I will show you._ With that, the little gold finch flew off, leaving Laurëel compelled to follow.

"Where you goin' lass?" Bofur called from the table. Laurëel looked up in surprise.

"Just for a quick walk." She smiled. "I'll be back in a bit." Then she turned and left as the dwarves shared confused stares.

"Did she just smile?" Nori asked in surprise.

"Aye…" Gloin nodded slowly.

"Just yesterday, she was shouting and growling like an orc." Fili chuckled. Kili stared at the door, which the girl had disappeared through. Then quickly turned away. He had no time to waste on a girl who couldn't even decide if she was happy or angry.

Laurëel quickly bathed herself in the spring the bird had showed her. Though the old frogs that croaked nearby weren't the most pleasant company. But at least she had gotten the blood out of her hair, which she had had to unbraid to wash properly. After drying and dressing herself, she headed back inside the house; feeling more refreshed than she had been since the journey had began. The conversation quieted down a little as she entered.

"Hey, you aren't covered in blood!" Fili teased, raising the mug of milk to his lips.

"Wish I could say the same about you." Laurëel laughed, waving the air in front of her in disgust. "You stink worse than goblins." The dwarves laughed at this and turned back to their conversation as Laurëel took a seat and began eating ravenously.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked, looking to Gandalf for an answer.

"Before Durin's day falls, yes." He nodded grimly.

"You are running out of time." Beorn commented.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Gandalf replied. Laurëel's smile vanished instantly.

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. I would not venture there except in great need." Beorn warned.

"We will take the elven road. That path is safe." Gandalf spoke. Laurëel slammed the table at this, causing everyone to look at her.

"Safe?" Beorn raised an eyebrow. "The wood-elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They are less wise and more dangerous."

"They're monsters!" Laurëel spat, looking at Beorn and Gandalf. "Those foul, loathsome creatures are worse than orcs!" Some of the dwarves cheered in agreement. Some, like Bilbo and Balin, looked at the girl with concern at her obvious hatred of the elves.

"It matters not." Beorn said dismissively.

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked, curiously.

"These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." The dwarves looked at each other, crest fallen. "I don't like dwarves." Beorn began, for seemingly no reason. "They're greedy and blind. Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." The guests, who mostly comprised of dwarves, looked around at each other awkwardly. Beorn turned back around to Thorin. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

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I don't actually have anything to say about this chapter except... Tell me what you think!


	28. Chapter 28: Mirkwood

Back on the road again! ^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

Enjoy!

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We left the house of Beorn far sooner than I would have liked, but my short time there had lifted mu spirits greatly, even with the wound I had received. And the dwarves began talkin' to me again. Which reminded me of how important these dwarves had become to me. As we neared Mirkwood, the air became more stagnant and quiet. I became more and more aware of my own breathin' as the ponies Beorn had supplied us with plodded along underneath us. They weren't very talkative animals.

"The elven gate." Gandalf announced as we approached the edge of the woods. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood." A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I was about to travel through the one place I had sworn _never_ to enter again.

"No sign of orcs." Dwalin observed. "We have luck on our side."

"We are goin' through _Mirkwood_." I said through gritted teeth. "No luck will help us now."

"Do you have to be such a downer?" Nori complained, turnin' back to look at me.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." Gandalf instructed. And we did so. Bilbo looked around, shiverin' slightly.

"This forest feels… sick. As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" The hobbit asked. I looked up hopefully.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance South." Gandalf answered before enterin' the woods hesitantly. The rest of the company waited outside for Gandalf's return. Nori almost finished unsaddlin' the wizard's horse before the wizard himself came back out.

"Not my horse! I need it." Gandalf instructed Nori.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked, voicin' what was in all of our minds.

"I would not do this unless I had too." Gandalf sighed. I turned away, tryin' to get ahold of myself. Not only was I goin' into Mirkwood, but also now I was goin' there without a wizard! I wanted to just give up right there. Kili appeared at my side, lookin' away nonchalantly.

"Not that I care." He started as I looked at him in confusion. "But we still do have that agreement to look out for each other's backs." He reminded me. My worries did not completely melt away, but his words were comfortin'. Then I saw Thorin's hard glare in the background. My smile disappeared again.

"Yeah. That's true." I just shrugged. "I don't go back on my word."

"Neither do I." Kili said, coughin' slightly. They stood there awkwardly until Gandalf spoke up again.

"This is not the Greenwood of old." He warned. "The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray?" Bilbo murmured to Balin. "What does that mean?"

"You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf said threateningly. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" With that he reeled his horse up and galloped away.

"We're goin' to get lost aren't we?" I commented sourly.

"Come on." Fili smiled, throwin' an arm over both Kili and my shoulders. "Don't say that. We just have to follow the path. How hard could that be?"

"I hate you sometimes." I hissed later as we trudged through the cramped, sick forest. Dwalin and Thorin led at the front, tryin' to keep us on track.

"Air. I need Air." Bofur wined.

"My head, it's spinning." Oin groaned sickly before everyone ran into each other. "What's happening?" the old dwarf asked in confusion.

"Keep moving!" Thorin yelled up to the thief. "Nori, why have we stopped?"

"The path…" the ginger dwarf stammered. "It's gone." I groaned loudly.

"This is _all_ your fault." I glared at Fili who just smiled sheepishly. Kili put a reassurin' hand on my shoulder, which I shrugged off quickly. The rest of the dwarves had worked themselves into a panic.

"Find it!" Thorin shouted. "All of you look. Look for the path!" Needless to say, we didn't find it. We continued walkin', completely lost in the maze of trees and webs. Huge webs. The dwarves were slowly growin' more and more upset. My head had been poundin' for a while now, but it was gettin' worse. I desperately sought some sort of reassurance and ended up holdin' Kili's hand desperately. He said nothin', but continued to hold on to my hand tightly. At one point, I was almost sure I had seen Jayme and my mum over in the forest. I nearly broke down, but I didn't cry. I did stop walkin' for a second and Kili had asked if I was all right. He confirmed that what I was seein' was just an illusion of the forest. He could see no one but the company. Suddenly, people in the front began yellin' about somthin'.

"Because it _is_ yours!" Bilbo shouted at Bofur. "You understand? We've been going around in circles. We're lost." The words hit my ears and made my head pound even harder. The dwarves began to argue loudly as Bilbo slipped away. The anger and loud voices filled my ears and I just crouched down, hands over my ears, wishin' it would all go away. That was when I heard it.

"Enough, quiet! All of you!" Thorin yelled over the bickerin' dwarves, who fell silent at the sound of their leader's urgent voice. "We are being watched." Now that the dwarves are quiet, I can hear is distinctly. Voices. The whisperin' of voices from somewhere deep in the woods. I can't make out what they're sayin', but it is definitely not friendly. I stand up in alarm.

"We have to get out of here." I tell the others, who look at me strangely. "Now!" No sooner had the words left my mouth then pandemonium ensued. Huge, gigantic spiders dropped down all around us, mandibles movin' greedily. We were to surprise to be given a chase, and I felt a sharp pain in my leg as a spider released its venom into my blood. Everything went dark.

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Spiders. I hate spiders. Well, not all spiders, but the giant fanged ones that eat people. Those I do hate.

So what did you think? Please review!


	29. Chapter 29: Spawn of Ungoliant

Spiders. Ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick ick.

Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie.

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My blood was hot. My limbs were stiff. The thick webs held me tight, makin' it so I could barely breath. I knew that I was in trouble, that I had to get out of there as quickly as I could, but the venom coursin' through my veins was makin' it hard to even think, let alone move. Instead I listened. I could here the whisper of voices that chanted in the woods beyond my cocoon.

_Feast. Feast. Feast._ I shivered. Eventually, they would come for me. And there was nothin' I could do to stop it. Suddenly, the chantin' stopped and I heard unearthly cries in the distance. Suddenly, I heard somethin' approachin'. It was too light to be a spider. And only two legs.

"Who's there?" I cried to ask, but it became muffled in the webs.

"Calm down Laurëel." Bilbo hissed. Relief washed over me as I felt the webs stretchin' to the ground. As I stopped on the ground, I fought down the venom and pulled the webs apart. Lookin' around, I saw the rest of the company freein' themselves around me.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur looked around frantically.

"I'm up here!" Bilbo assured the dwarves before gettin' knocked out of the branches by a spider. But I had no time to worry about the hobbit as spiders launched themselves at the rest of us.

"Kili!" I hear Fili call. I looked around for the young dwarf and spotted him a little away from the others, a spider poised over him, ready to strike. I charge towards the spider, swingin' my urgrosh to the large creature's body. The oversized arachnid reeled away; still on it's feet. I turned to help Kili up, but another spider rammed into my side, knockin' me to the ground and my urgrosh out of my hand.

"Help!" Kili called desperately, as the wounded spider began pullin' him away by the foot.

"Kili!" Fili called again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rest of the company surrounded by wood elves. _All right mister spider. You can just eat me now._ But I still held the churnin' mandibles back as they pushed forward, tryin' to take a bite of me. Suddenly, a red haired she-elf burst into the clearin', killin' spiders left and right, quickly shootin' the spider by Kili. The creature collapsed, finally dead. My arms were about to give out.

"Kili!" I shouted desperately. Kili looked over at me horrified before turnin' to the red haired elf.

"Throw me your dagger! Quick!" He pleaded. The elf gave the dwarf a look.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you are mistaken." She hissed. Oh don't mind me. Just gettin' eaten by a giant spider over here. No big deal. The elf quickly stabbed her knife into the spider chargin' at her before pullin' it out and hurlin' it into the side of the creature over top of me. I pushed off the now limp creature and scrambled to my feet. I looked over at Kili to see him starin' at the elf in amazement.

_Are the spiders dead? _Legolas asked the red haired elf in their own tongue. Of course it had to be the prince leadin' the expedition.

_Yes, but more will come. They are growing bolder._ The red haired elf replied. Another elf came from behind and shoved me towards the others. I hissed at the elf angrily, drawin' the eye of the two in charge. Not the best thing I could have done, I'll admit. Legolas walked up to me, a sour expression on his face.

"You." He spat. "I had hoped you'd be dead by now." I was aware of the curious looks that the other dwarves were givin' me. "You must have a death wish, coming back to this forest." I just glared at him. _Take them away!_ He ordered to the other elves in elvish. And with that we were pushed along through the forest.

"Thorin, where's Bilbo?" Bofur whispered. We were escorted none too gently into the elvish kingdom and down towards the dungeon. My dread grew worse and worse each step I took down the curvin' stairs. So many terrible memories lingered for me in these halls. Thorin was separated from us to see King Thandruil. We were relieved of our weapons and shoved into different cells along the stairs. Mine was the farthest down, out of view of most of the other dwarves. But I could see Kili's cell not too far from mine. He was shoved in as the rest of the dwarves complained loudly while bein' searched.

"Aren't you going to search me?" Kili asked the red haired elf as she locked the gate. "I could have anything down my trousers." I groaned loudly.

"Or nothing." The elf smiled back slightly. I banged my head on the bars of my cell. He was not _seriously_ flirtin' with these monsters. The elf climbed the stairs where Legolas was waitin'.

_Why does the dwarf stare at you Tauriel?_ Legolas asked warily. Tauriel, so that was her name.

_Who can say?_ Tauriel shrugged before lookin' back at Kili who stared at her wistfully. _He's quite tall for a dwarf._ She commented before lookin' back at Legolas. _Do you not think?_ She asked, tryin' to look disinterested.

_Taller than some, but no less ugly._ Legolas sneered before glarin' at Kili, who glared back.

_Give it up pointy!_ I yelled to Tauriel's back. _He's out of your league, you monster!_ Tauriel just looked at me, a mix of startled and amused playin' across her face. Legolas was not so amused about it. Kili looked at me, wonderin' when I had learned to speak walked up to my cell and grabbed a fistful of my braids and pullin' on them harshly as he hissed at me.

"Mind your tongue half breed!" Though he hissed, I was sure everyone could hear it perfectly. "You'll be seeing Lord Thandruil next, then you'll be sorry." He released me just as roughly and walked away as I crashed to the floor. Kili slammed his bars angrily.

"You'll pay for that!" The dwarf threatened angrily. Legolas ignored the empty threats and stalked away, followed closely by Tauriel. Once they were out of sight, Kili turned to me. "Laurëel, are you alright? What did you say to them?" I was thankful he couldn't understand me then. I didn't answer the young archer; I just sat on the cold stone in silence. A little while later, Thorin was thrown into on of the cells beyond my sight.

"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asked excitedly.

"He did." Thorin nodded. "I told him he could go 'Ish kakhfe ai'd dur rugnu!' Him and all his kin!" I didn't bother to try to decipher that. It all meant the same thing. There would be no reasonin' with the Elf king. I looked up as an elf unlocked my cell and dragged me out, up the stairs.

"Where are you taking her?" Kili yelled angrily. The elf ignored him.

"Just shut up." I hissed at him as I passed his door. I didn't look him in the eyes, but I knew he felt useless behind those bars. But I was too focused on what was ahead. My second meetin' ever with the Lord of Mirkwood.

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*cue dramatic music*


	30. Chapter 30: King of Mirkwood

PASSED 10000 VIEWS! YAY!

Anyway... Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or any of the lines from the movies.

Enjoy!

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Lord Thandruil was just as cold as Laurëel had remembered him, if not more so. Apart from his fine fabrics and decorative rings, the elf lord wore another element. An invisibly cloth seemed to drape over him, separating him from the world of man. He was above that. Or so he thought. He slowly circled Laurëel, who was forced to her knees, her hands bound tightly behind he back. Legolas and Tauriel watched in the background as the elf lord began to speak.

"You are indeed bold to return to this place." He admitted, not looking at the girl.

"Bolder than you, elven filth." Laurëel spat back angrily. Thandruil ignored her comment completely.

"Though, I will acknowledge that you have saved me a good bit of work." The elven king said, sitting gracefully onto his chair. "This is a perfect opportunity to get rid of the… bad blood." He looked straight at Laurëel, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You dare?" Laurëel hissed. "You are the one who imprisoned my mother till she lay upon her death bed! You're the one who sent my brother to his _grave_!" Tauriel would not have been surprised if fire began to spew out of the short girl's eyes. It did not however. "The only bad blood in this room is your own! I would call you a monster, but it's too great of an insult for those poor goblins to be lumped in the same category as _you_! You are nothin' but pure, unbridled evil." Laurëel finished by spitting towards the elven king. Thandruil emotionlessly wiped the spit if his pale check with a flick of his hand and stood up.

"You are beyond fortunate that you arrived in the Feast of Starlight. I will not spill any blood in these halls on this night." He turned to Tauriel and instructed her in elvish. _Take her back to the cells. She will be executed tomorrow at dawn._ Laurëel's face paled. She should have seen it coming, but to hear the order actually be given, it suddenly seemed much more real. The red haired elf escorted Laurëel back to her cell and locked the door. No one said anything as the elf made her way to each of the cell doors, making sure each of the dwarves were accounted for. They were all asleep. She reached Kili's cell last, and noticed the small black stone, which he tossed repeatedly in boredom.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?" Tauriel questioned. A strange glint appeared in the dwarf's eye and he looked up at the elf slowly.

"It is a talisman." He answered, cryptically. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed." Kili quickly held up the stone towards the elf's face who, instinctively, took a step back before turning and walking away brusquely. "Or not." Kili called after her, making her stop and look back. "Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing. It's just a token." He smiled a little mischievously at the red haired elf, who smiled back, realizing it was just a joke. Laurëel sat at the floor of her cell. The silence between the two, which she listened to, was unbearable. The moment that they shared. But Laurëel couldn't bring herself to disrupt it. How could she? She would be dead by tomorrow anyway. "A runestone. My mother gave it to me so I would remember my promise." Kili continued.

"What promise?" Tauriel asked, curiously.

"That I will come back to her." Kili answered. Laurëel tried to make her heart shut up. It didn't matter anyway. But it kept crying out. _Why? Why are you more open with your captor than you have ever been to me? Am I that worthless?_ "She worries." Kili chuckled slightly. "She thinks I'm reckless."

"Are you?" Tauriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah." Kili shrugged, tossing the stone in the air again, but this time it slipped from his grasp and tumbled out of the cell. Tauriel stopped it with a foot before it tumbled over the edge of the pathway. She quickly bent down, inspecting the small stone. In the silence, laughter could be heard of many elves far above. "Sounds like quite the party your having up there." Kili said, coming right up to the bars of the cell. _Small talk?_ Laurëel screamed silently. _You're making small talk with our enemy?_

"It is Mereth-en-Gilith." Tauriel answered. "The Feast of Starlight." _The only reason I am still alive right now._ Laurëel added to herself. "All light is sacred to the Eldar. But wood elves love best the light of the stars."

"I always thought it is a cold light." Kili commented. "Remote and far away." Tauriel stepped closer to the cell door.

"It is memory. Precious and Pure." The she elf explained. _Memory? What is pure about that?_ Laurëel hissed in her mind. _All the memories I have are full of death and pain._ "Like your promise." Tauriel finished, handing Kili back his stone. "I have walked there sometimes." She told him. "Beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away and white light forever fill the air."

"I saw a fire moon once." Kili shared excitedly. "It rose over the path near Dunland. Huge; red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin; they were trading in Silverbuck for furs. We took the greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then, this huge fire moon, right in our path. I wish I could show you…" Tauriel sat down gracefully on the step and listened to the dwarf talk about the large red moon. Laurëel listened too. Just this once, she closed her eyes and pretended that Tauriel wasn't there at all. That Kili was talking to her. Just to her and no one else. Just for a little while.

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	31. Chapter 31: Last day

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The hours, minutes, seconds passed by with unbearable slowness. I had long accepted that today would be my last day. Ever. There were so many things I wanted to do. But none of them could be achieved from this cell. I had tired askin' the elves for a paper and quill to leave a message for the rest of the company. My request was denied. So instead, I just thought. I thought about what I had planned to do once this quest was done. How I would continue with my life after this journey was done. I had nothin'. Not an ounce of what I would do. Where I would go. Who I would be with. I would probably end up on my own again. Not that it mattered now. After an eternity of thought, elves came down with a simple meal of bread and water. They did not stop at my cell. I didn't expect them too.

"What about Laurëel?" Kili's voice penetrated the silence. I looked over slightly to see the elves starin' at the dark haired dwarf with disgust.

"Why waste food on a dead creature." On of the elves laughed. Kili looked at them, puzzled. The other elf clarified upon the prisoner's confusion.

"That _thing_ is being executed tomorrow at dawn." The elves chuckled and walked away. I quickly looked back at the wall of my cell that I was not sittin' against. I didn't want to meet Kili's wide-eyed gaze.

"Laurëel?" His voice asked unevenly. I could tell he wanted me to say somethin', to prove them wrong. Tell him it was all just a joke. I couldn't lie to him though.

"Why do you care?" I snapped, still not lookin' at him. "It's not like you're dyin'. You get to stay there with your little elven girlfriend chattin' to all hours of the night about the sky." _Stop it! Just stop it!_ I screamed at myself silently. _Why do you have to be so bitter?_

"Of course I care." Kili said after awhile. "Laurëel, you are part of this company. You are a brave, courageous person. And you're my friend." His supposedly comfortin' words stung my heart. I tried to ignore it. "I won't let them kill you. We promised- I promised to watch your back. That's what I'm going to do." I laughed hollowly.

"There's nothin' you can do." I said dryly. "Nothin' any of us could do." Silence filled the halls. I knew the rest of the company had been listenin'. But… there was still one thing I had to say. "Kili?" I asked hesitantly. My voice unnaturally high pitched.

"Yeah?" He asked his voice filled with defeat.

"There's… still one thing… one more thing I want to tell you before…" My voice faltered. I could feel the young archer's gaze on me. I still didn't look at him. "I'll probably regret this… but since I'm not gonna be around much longer, I thought I'd just tell you." He still said nothin', waitin' patiently. "I… for awhile now… I've cared for you..." I said, tryin' not to stammer. I took a deep breath. "As more than just a friend." I squeezed my eyes shut tight.

I had said it. Out loud. Right in front of the whole company. But more importantly, right in front of Kili.

"Oh." Was all Kili said. There was a pause before the older brother broke in.

"Say something!" Fili hissed farther up the staircases.

"Just forget it." I said, loud enough for the whole company to hear properly. "It's not as if it matters anyway." _Thorin is probably furious_. Was the first thing that crossed my mind. Once again, silence fell upon the group. But this time it remained. Until, hours later, Bofur spoke up.

"I'll wager the sun is on the rise. It must nearly be dawn." He guessed before gettin' Bombor's elbow in his side. The larger dwarf nodded his head in my direction and gave his brother a meaningful glare.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori mumbled, the sadness of the group weighin' down upon him.

"Not stuck in here your not!" A little voice spoke up.

"Bilbo!" Balin shouted in surprise. My eyes shot open.

"Shhh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo hissed quietly before the dwarves could make too much noise. I jumped up quickly as the hobbit opened my cell door, the keys janglin' in his hands. As soon as the door opened I rushed outside and whipped around, glarin' at the small door that had kept me trapped. After a brief moment of triumph, I looked to see the rest of the dwarves fillin' into the stairway. Then I bumped into Kili. I looked up at him, my face turnin' bright, bright red. He looked at me silently, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Uh…" I stammered, backin' up slightly. "About what I said- I-" But my words were immediately silenced as I was enveloped in the young dwarf's strong arms. I just stood there, my arms frozen in the air and my eyes wide with shock. I looked over Kili's shoulder to see the rest of the company smilin' at us. I turned a shade of purple from blushin' so much.

"I think the lass is about to explode." Nori whispered to his brother, causin' the whole company to chuckle slightly before turnin' away and headin' up the stairs.

"Not that way!" Bilbo interrupted, stoppin' the dwarves from goin' up. "Down here, follow me!" The dwarves, in confusion, followed the hobbit down. Kili finally released me and turned to follow Bilbo as well. But not before whisperin' lightly in my ear.

"We'll talk later." And he was gone. Disappearin' down the stairs after the small hobbit. I stood in shock for a little as the dwarves passed me on the other side. Several of them rubbed my head or patted me on the back as they passed. Thorin was the exception. He just glared harshly at me from the corner of his eye. This knocked me out of my daze and I followed the rest of the dwarves, my gaze restin' on the back of the young archer's head.

"This way." Bilbo instructed, but the dwarves paused as they saw where they had been headed.

"I don't believe it!" Kili exclaimed. "We're in the cellars!" At this, the dwarves started gettin' more than a little upset.

"You were supposed to be leadin' us out! Not further in!" Bofur said. Even he was gettin' a little angry.

"I know what I'm doing!" Bilbo hissed back before gettin' quickly shushed. "This way." He said, quieter. With that he turned and kept walkin', leavin' the baffled dwarves to follow behind. "Everyone climb into the barrels. Quickly!" The dwarves looked at the piled barrels before them.

"Are you mad?" Dwalin growled. "They'll find us!"

"No! No, they won't, I promise you!" Bilbo pleaded. "Please, please, you _must_ trust me!" I looked behind me, the sound of voices began raisin' in the distance.

"Hurry you louts!" I hissed at them. I wasn't eager to be executed after freedom had been shown to me.

"Do as he says!" Thorin ordered quickly. Grumblin' but quickly, each of the dwarves climbed into a barrel. It was cramped, to say the least. And it smelled strongly of wine.

"What do we do now?" Bofur said, voicin' the question on everyone's mind. I poked out my head to look at the hobbit, who was walkin' over to a lever. Bilbo looked at all of us, who watched him in anticipation.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo said simply.

"Hold my breath?" Bofur asked as the hobbit pulled the lever. "What do you mean-" But his words dropped away as the floor tilted and all of the barrels dropped into a churnin' river below.

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**:) She finally told him! ^-^**

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	32. Chapter 32: Barrels out of Bound

Stupid illness. I was stuck in bed for over half the day! But I finally dragged myself out from my covers to post this chapter, so please enjoy!

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The confusion, the spinnin', the noise, the _water_. It was all rushin' past me in a giant whirl of motion. I was sure to be sick. My barrel bounced around carelessly, against rocks and other barrels. I spotted elves along the side. Legolas shouted out in elvish, though I couldn't make it out over the din. As by barrel thrashed about the bend in the river, my eyes came to rest on a low wall with an openin' in the river. But a gate was quickly closin' on the openin'. The barrels all slammed to a stop at the gate. I brushed my soppin' wet braids out of my face and turned my head to see several elves comin' toward us. Then, one halted as a black arrow lodged itself in the elf's unarmored back.

"Watch out!" Bofur called out. "Those are orcs."

"You don't say!" I shouted back at him, sarcastically.

"Kili!" Dwalin shouted angrily. I turned in alarm to see the young, unarmed, dwarf out of his barrel and makin' his way up the stairs of the wall.

"What are you doin' you idiot?" I shouted at him. He ignored me, and kept headin' towards the gate lever, dodgin' an elven blade. Dwalin tossed a sword to the young archer who caught the blade and proceeded to fight his way to the top of the stairs. _If only I had my Urgrosh!_ I thought desperately as I watched helplessly as Kili fought off more orcs. Fili threw a dagger at an orc approachin' Kili from behind. I just watched. Kili quickly turned to the lever and… Stopped. He cried out in pain, clutchin' at his leg, which had a black arrow protrudin' from it.

"Kili!" Fili called out in horror. I looked behind me to see a large, mangled, orc grinnin' evilly as it strung another arrow into his bow. I growled in anger before lookin' back at Kili. The young dwarf pushed himself back towards the lever, only to fall on his back. An orc jumped over Kili, ready to finish him off. I looked around frantically. There must be somthin' I could do. But when I looked back, I saw the orc collapse, an arrow potrudin' from his head. I looked back to see Tauriel appear at the riverbank, killin' orcs left and right. Kili struggled to reach the lever, and pull it down. The gate creaked open.

"Kili! Hurry up!" I yelled to him, thankful for the minor distraction Tauriel had bought us. Kili crawled over to the side of the platform and slide into his barrel, the arrow breakin' off against the side of the barrel as he landed. I winced as he let out another cry of pain. And then the river carried us away. I tried to stay near to Kili, to protect him, but the current was too strong and I could not control it. I did manage to get my hands on one of the orc's axes as was usin' it when any of the monsters got too close for my likin'. I caught sight of Kili every once in awhile, and, to my relief, Fili was managin' to stay close to him. After awhile, I could see no orcs, nor elves on the banks of the river. We ended up gettin' out a little ways down on a slab of rock juttin' out into the river. I immediately went to find Kili. Fili was already by his side. I stayed back, not gettin' too close. But even from the distance, I could see the blood bleedin' through the cloth that bound the wound. Bofur bent down next to him, worriedly.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." Kili said, brushin' Bofur off.

"Don't be stupid." I said, still a couple of feet away. Kili looked up, surprised to see me there. He can clearly see the troubled and pained expression on my face as I stare at the wound, horrified. I turned away quickly, tryin' to put as much distance between the two of us as I could.

"On your feet." Thorin commanded.

"Kili's wounded." Fili defended his brother. "His leg needs binding."

"There's an orc pack on our tail. We keep moving." Thorin repeated angrily.

"To where?" Balin asked.

"To the mountain, we're so close." Bilbo answered, I could see his anxiousness.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it." Balin pointed out.

"So then we go around." Bilbo shrugged.

"The orcs will run us down. Sure as daylight." Dwalin growled.

"And we have no weapons to defend ourselves." I added, missin' the familiar weight of my urgrosh on my back. Thorin looked around at the faces of his companions before sighin'.

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes." The dwarven king decided. Oin immediately crouched down to examine the wound. In the meantime, I walked along the edge of the river. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the movement of fish. I looked back at the company quickly, to make sure no one was watchin', before I started wadin' into the water.

"What's she doing?" I heard Ori ask from far behind me. It was too late to turn back now, so I continued forward till the water was waste deep. Then, I took a huge breath and dived under the water. It sounded strange under the water. So quiet.

_Ugh, what's that dwelven girl doing, sticking her face in the water like that? Gross._ The trout complained to its companion. I let out a couple bubbles to speak.

_Sorry, but can you tell me if there's any settlements around here?_ I ask, quickly runnin' out of air.

_Well, there's Lake Town._ The bass told me.

_But that place is full of murderers!_ The trout complained. _They kill aunt merle last week! _I managed to bubble out a thank you before I felt an arm grab the back of my tunic and pull me out of the water. I gasped for breath as my face felt air. I thrashed about a bit, out of breath as Dwalin pulled me to the shore.

"What were you doing girl?" The tall dwarf asked angrily. I looked around at the curious faces of the others as I lay on the wet stone, still pantin' heavily.

"It's like you were tryin' to drown yourself!" Bofur cried, completely baffled. I flushed slightly as I realized how that must have looked to the others. It looked like I was tryin' to kill myself.

"No time to explain." I gasped, standin' to my feet. Thorin raised an eyebrow. "There's some type of settlement near here. It's called Lake Town."

"And how did you come by this information?" The dwarven king asked suspiciously.

"Well," I smiled slightly. "Since you all think I'm crazy, I'll just say that the fish told me." This comment was rewarded with more strange looks. Even Kili was lookin' at me like I had grown two heads. I was pleased to see that he was standin' up now. "Anyway," I began, gettin' back on track. "I swear it's true. There is a place called Lake Town." No one looked like they believed me.

"She tells the truth." We all looked up in surprise to see a man standin' atop a rock, a bow and arrow in hand, aimed at me. Dwalin quickly grabbed a branch and moved in front of me. The dwarf is rewarded by an arrow through the middle of his branch. Another arrow flew through the air, knockin' a stone out of Kili's hand.

"Do it again, and your dead." The man threatens. A growl develops in the back of my throat. Balin, with hands in the air, approached the man cautiously.

"Excuse me, but your from…" he glanced towards me. "Lake town, if I'm not mistaken. That barge over there. It wouldn't happen to be for hire, by any chance?" The bow lowered.

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	33. Chapter 33: Back in the Barrels(briefly)

Thank you all for the lovely reviews so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Balin had ordered everyone to stay far back as he talked to the man. And so, we watched from a little ways off. No one could hear the words they said, except for Dwalin and Thorin who slowly inched up to wait behind the older dwarf. I stayed back with the rest of the dwarves, makin' sure to keep at least three dwarves in between Kili and I. I ended up standin' behind Gloin, because Kili kept lookin' around for me. I wasn't ready to face him quite yet. I first needed to figure out how in the world to stop blushin' like a cherry.

Eventually, Balin came over and told us that our ticket into Lake town had been secured. We then, all filed onto the boat. I was shoved and jostled as the dwarves made their way onto the barge and took their seats. I ended up gettin' pushed into a seat right next to Kili. They had probably planned that. Kili tried to catch my eye, but I made sure to keep my gaze fixed on the icy waters, which we traveled through. The smooth glassy surface of the water lulled me into some kind of half trance.

"Watch out!" Bofur cried out. I looked up in alarm, just in time to see the man steer around a large rock.

"What are you trying to do? Drown us?" Thorin asked angrily.

"I was born and bred on these waters master dwarf." The man replied. "If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." That sentence didn't seem to help much to calm the dwarves' nerves. I just chuckled slightly, then caught Kili's eye by accident. I quickly turned to look at the waters again. Kili quietly grabbed my hand, which hung in between us. None of the other dwarves could see it. I was half tempted to pull my hand away, but I didn't. I was just glad I was lookin' out at the water so no one could see how red my face had gotten.

"I've had enough of this lippy lake man." Dwalin growled. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with him."

"Bard." Bilbo answered angrily. Many dwarves turned to look at the hobbit. "His name is bard."

"How do you know?" Bofur asked, curiously.

"I asked him." Bilbo replied simply.

"I don't care what he calls himself." Dwalin muttered to Thorin. "I don't like him."

"We don't have to like him!" Balin interrupted. "We simply have to pay him. Now come on lads, turn out your pockets." The dwarves began to grumble as they pulled out coins and valuables. My hand went to the chain around my neck. It was the only thing I still had. But I didn't want to part with it. With out my weapons, it was the only thing that was makin' me useful at the moment. So I just continued to look over the water, hopin' they wouldn't notice.

"There's… just a problem. We're ten coins short." Balin puzzled, countin' the money. I started to panic slightly, but I kept lookin' over the water, tryin' to decide whether or not to give up the pendant.

"Gloin, come on. Give us what you have." Thorin growled at the red haired dwarf. I looked back in surprise.

"Don't look at me!" Gloin said defensively. "I have been bled dry by this adventure! And what have I seen for this investment? Nothing but misery and grief and…" his voice trailed off as he noticed what the rest of the dwarves had noticed. In the distance, loomin' above us was the shadow of the mountain. "Bless my beard." Gloin muttered. "Take it. Take all of it." the dwarf handed a stack of coins over to Balin, just before Bilbo let out a brief cough. We all turned to see Bard approachin' us.

"The money, quick, give it to me." Bard whispered.

"We'll pay when we get out provisions. Not before." Thorin warned.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say." Bard threatened. "There are guards just ahead." We did as the man said, and soon we were all in barrels. I peered through a hole as Bard got out of the barge and started talkin' to an old man. I was startled in alarm as I saw Bard point in our direction. Then they talked a bit more and shook hands. I felt my stomach knot up. He was sellin' us out! Then fish began rainin' down upon me. I quickly covered my face, worried that if I looked at them I would end up seein' aunt merle or another of the trout's relatives among the dead. There were just so many fish. And they all felt so fishy! The barge continued onwards, and I managed to push fish out of the way as I looked through a whole in the barrel. We had finally reached lake town. Bard deftly moved the barge into the water gate way, where he was stopped by the gatekeeper.

"Halt!" the gatekeeper called out. "Goods inspection. Papers please. Oh, it's you Bard."

"Morning Percy." Bard smiled, walkin' up to the gatekeeper.

"Anything to declare?" Percy asked.

"Nothing, but that I'm cold and tired and ready for home." Bard sighed, handin' his papers over.

"You and me both." Percy chuckled. The gatekeeper disappeared for a second into the office and came back out, stampin' the papers. "Here we are. All in order."

"Not so fast." A weasel like man said, grabbin' the papers out of Percy's hand. I could see bard sigh visibly. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Mirkwood realm." The small man read. "Only, they're not empty, are they, bard?" The small man dropped the papers and approached the barrels with a guard on either side. "If I call correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

"That's none of your business." Bard hissed.

"Wrong." The man said, whippin' around to face Bard again. "It's the master's business. Which makes it my business."

"Oh, come on Alfred. Have a heart. People need to eat!" Bard said, tryin' to reason with the small man.

"These fish are illegal!" Alfred snapped back. "Empty the barrels over the side." He ordered the guards, walkin' off the barge.

"You heard him. Into the canal. Come on, get a move on." One of the guards commanded. I tensed in alarm as my barrel began to rock. The barrel was lifted to the edge and began tippin' out. The fish slipped out quickly into the water.

"Folk in this town are struggling!" Bard argued. "Times are hard. Food is scarce!"

"That's not my problem." Alfred sneered.

"And when the people hear that the master is dumping fish back in the lake?" Bard started. "When the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?" The two glared at each other, the soldiers looked at them, wonderin' whether they should stop or keep dumpin'. At last, I tumbled out into the freezin' water. Water poured in through my mouth and nose as I sunk, disoriented. I look up to see two heads look over the side, and then disappear again. I quickly tried to swim upward. I reached the surface and took a huge gasp of air before duckin' under the water as the two heads looked over again. They disappeared for the last time and I poked my head out again, tryin' to breath as quietly as possible.

"Raise the gate!" I heard Percy yell. The barge started forward through the now open portcullis. I grabbed on to the bottom of the barge as well as I could, and swam along beside it. Which wasn't easy, considerin' I wasn't a very good swimmer. Alfred's voice called out from behind us.

"The Master has his eye on you! You'd do well to remember!" the small man called after Bard. "We know where you live!"

"It's a small town, Alfred." Bard called back to him. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

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	34. Chapter 34: In the attic

**And the next chapter!**

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Bard stepped off the barge at one of the more out of the way docks. He rolled all the barrels off the barge, and after looking around carefully, dumped out the barrels. Fish and dwarves tumbled out together.

"Get your hands off of me!" Dwalin growled, smacking' away the man's help. The dock keeper just stared at the sight in alarm. Bard pressed a gold coin into his hand.

"You didn't see them. They were never here. The fish you can have for nothing." Bard told the man, before turning back around. "Now, is everyone here?"

"Where's Laurëel?" Kili asked, looking around in alarm. As to answer his question, a large amount of sputtering and splashing sounded from the water. The half drowned girl was quickly lifted out of the water and onto the dock, where she lay, shivering. Bofur quickly helped her up, rubbing her arms rapidly to try and give her some warmth. Laurëel pulled away quickly.

"I'll be fine." She whispered to the dwarf, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. Kili opened his mouth to object, but Bard cut him off.

"Follow me." He ordered before heading off into the maze of wooden houses and docks. The dwarves followed behind as quietly as they could through the back alleys of the town. But they came to a halt as a boy came running up to bard.

"Da, our house is being watched!" The boy said worriedly. Bard looked back at the large group of dwarves behind him and smirked slightly. The next thing Laurëel could focus on was that she was climbing out of a toilet. But it didn't bother her much. She mostly just felt cold. Trying hard to put one foot in front of another. Fili walked slowly behind both Laurëel and Kili, making sure that neither of them collapsed on the spot. Kili kept glaring at him whenever the older brother tried to help. Laurëel, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything that was going on around her. She just walked forward blindly after the other dwarves in a haze. Fili had to grab her quickly before she walked into the stairs at one point.

"Da… why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" An older girl asked as she watched the company file past her.

"Will they bring us luck?" A smaller girl asked innocently.

"Tilda, get some blankets for them, their all freezing." Bard instructed his younger daughter. "And starving. Sigrid, give them some food that we can spare." The older daughter nodded and went quickly to the cupboard.

"Da…" Tilda said, looking around for her father.

"Don't bother him Tilda." Sigrid scolded her younger sister. "He's busy."

"But Sigrid…" Tilda fretted. "The girl dwarf is terribly cold." Sigrid sighed and looked over at the one her sister was pointing to. Sure enough, the girl dwarf seemed barely awake and shivering horribly. "She looks like a drowned rat." Tilda observed. Sigrid flicked her sister on the ear before hurrying over to the kettle, which had just whistled. The young woman poured a cup of tea and brought it over to the freezing dwarf.

"Here, can you hold this?" She asked the glassy eyed girl. "It'll help warm you up." Laurëel attempted to grab the cup, but burst into a coughing fit instead. "She's coming down with a cold." Sigrid frowned talking mostly to herself. "Bain, can you get me the medicine chest?"

"Tilda, go get the medicine chest for Sigrid." Bain instructed his younger sister. Sigrid rolled her eyes as her younger sister handed her the small chest.

"Well Tilda, it's nice to know that you're answering to the name Bain as well." Sigrid said, giving Bain a look.

"Lay off it." Bain grumbled. "I'm busy here."

"Oh I don't doubt it." Sigrid sighed sarcastically, turning back to Laurëel. "Here you go, drink this and try to get some sleep. That's the best way to fight this."

"Fight?" Oin asked, mishearing. "Are we under attack?" Gloin assured him that they were not.

Laurëel woke much later in the quiet of the dark attic. Below her she could hear the movement of the other dwarves. She felt more alert than ever as she sat motionless in the musty darkness. She turned quickly to see someone rising from the trap door. Kili swung himself into the attic, closing the trap door behind him and cutting off the noise from below. He looked up at Laurëel, his face unseeable in the darkness.

"Feeling better?" He asked. From the tone in his voice, Laurëel guessed that he was smiling.

"Yeah." She answered, trying not to be as nervous as she really was. "I never used to get sick for very long. I have a strong resistance to that sort of thing…" She explained, voice trailing off as Kili scooted next to her. She quickly made room for him, squeezing herself against the wooden wall as much as possible.

"I thought we could have that talk now." Kili said, noticing the sizeable gap between them.

"Yeah, about that…" Laurëel started, trying to figure out how to worm her way out of this one. "I thought I was going to die then, so you can't really expect anythin' I said back then to be rational. I was probably just talking nonsense at that point. You know, anything to take my mind off of the fact that I was about to be executed…" Kili stared at her silently, and Laurëel felt like she was making a fool of herself.

"So you don't like me?" He asked once she had finally stopped talking.

"Well…" Laurëel started. "Well, I do. But that's not really the point. The fact is that I-" Kili cut her off again, putting a finger to her lips to silence her. He chuckled slightly.

"That's the entire point. What else would there be to talk about?" He smiled, moving his finger from her lips to her cheek.

"I…" Laurëel started before standing up quickly. "I can't."

"Why not?" Kili asked, all humor gone from his voice.

"Because I promised that I would watch your back, and now your hurt." She shook her head. "And that reminded me that… someday, you'll leave me too. Just like every other person I have ever cared for. It's not like you'll try to. It'll just happen. And there's nothin' anyone can do about that." Laurëel took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. "I've lost too much. Too many things I care about. I can't loose any more. I even lost my urgrosh." She laughed hollowly. "That was the last thing my mother ever gave me. And now it's gone too." Laurëel stopped laughing. "So don't you see? I can't love you. Because in the end… it'll hurt too much." Laurëel gasped in surprise as she felt herself pulled down to the floor again. Then she registered the warm lips against hers. After a second, Kili pulled away, a huge smile on his face.

"That's like saying you refuse to live because you don't want to die." He chuckled. Laurëel just stared at him wide eyed. "Living is a risk that we all must take. So is loving." He stroked her slightly pink cheeks as he continued. "And, like life, love is a gamble." He grinned impishly. "But it's definitely worth it." They continued to stare at each other for a while. Kili grinning widely and Laurëel just staring in shock. After a long pause, Kili looked a little concerned. "Laurëel?"

"Huh?" Laurëel asked, sitting up straight in surprise.

"Are you okay?" He asked, wondering if she was still sick.

"Yeah! Yeah…" Laurëel said, a bit too quickly. "It's just… that was my first kiss." She blushed red and looked away. Kili couldn't help himself and laughed loudly. "Oi! Don't laugh at that!" she said angrily smacking him on the shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry." Thorin apologized, trying to stop laughing. "It's just hard to believe that you've _never_ been kissed before."

"Well who would have done it?" Laurëel asked seriously. "I have been hidin' from the world my entire life! Remember, I'm half elf, half dwarf. I'm pretty much as low as you can get." Kili just laughed again and looked at Laurëel, a smile across his face. Laurëel blushed even more. "Will you stop looking at me like that?" she asked, looking away self-consciously.

"Like what?" Kili asked in surprise.

"Like that!" Laurëel sighed. Kili laughed again. "Ugh. You're so annoyin'. Why did I have to fall in love with a dunce like you?"

"Don't ask me!" Kili laughed. "I've been asking myself the same thing. Oh wait; maybe it was the time I saved your life. Or that other time… when I saved your life. Or maybe it's just my amazing looks." Laurëel tried to stifle a chuckle but failed,

"Will you just leave now?" She sighed, still smiling. Kili smiled cheekily at her.

"I think I'd rather bother you some more." He laughed.

"Seriously, go away!" Laurëel smiled, giving the prince a friendly shove towards the trap door. "I'll catch another cold or somthin'."

"Is that a threat?" Kili asked before he opened the trap door.

"You don't even want to hear _my_ threats buster!" she raised an eyebrow as he vanished behind the door. I sat back as soon as he was out of sight. My smile quickly disappeared though. _Thorin is goin' to kill me._

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**Okay, so it was kind of short. But I needed to have that conversation. Please tell me what you think!**


	35. Chapter 35: Making plans

Hey peoples! Feels like forever since I last updated! Anyway, please enjoy!

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Thorin didn't kill me. Yet, anyway. He was far to busy hatchin' a plan to get us some proper weapons. Which Bard very graciously and accidentally let us know where all kept in the armory. We quickly climbed through the upper window, using Dwalin as a stepping stool. The inside of the armory was filled to the teeth with weapons of every kind. Every kind except an urgrosh. Just my luck.

"You all right?" Thorin asked behind me. I turned to see Kili struggling with the pile of weapons in his arms.

"I can manage. Let's just get out of here." Kili said, trying to act tough. Thorin gave Kili a look before placing another sword on the pile in his nephew's arms.

"Don't push yourself idiot." I mutter to the young dwarf as I took half of the weapons out of his arms. He started to protest, but I quickly shushed him before heading down the stairs. Kili followed behind me. Suddenly, his wounded leg gave out and he tumbled down the stairs. I manage to avoid the clattering weapons barely, not droppin' my own. There was an awful silence. Then, in the distance, the clamor of guards sounded.

"Run!" Dori shouted from outside. I tossed my bundle of weapons up to Nori and tried to help Kili to his feet. But I was quickly grabbed from behind.

"Laurëel?" Kili asked, scared. I tried to kick the person behind me, but my movement ceased as I felt a blade against my throat. The same thing happened to Kili and the two of us were dragged roughly up the stairs to the others. The guards quickly surrounded the other dwarves. Thorin looked at the two of us scathingly as the guards prodded him forward.

The company was round up and brought in front of the master's house. A crowd of the people of laketown had begun to form around us. The guards made sure they stayed back, but they were murmuring loudly to each other. Soon enough, the Master barged out angrily, demandin' to know what it was all about.

"We caught em stealing weapons, sire." The captain reported.

"Ah, enemies of the state then." The master growled.

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was. Sire." Alfred hissed. I looked to my right to see Kili's down cast face. I grabbed his hand reassuringly and gaze forward defiantly at the master.

"Hold your tongue!" Dwalin bellowed at the master. "You do not know of whom you speak! This is no common criminal. This is Thorin! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" The crowd gasped as Thorin stepped forward proudly.

"We are the dwarves of Erebor." Thorin declared proudly as he turned to face the crowd. "We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great days of old." My mind wandered as he talked to the people. I heard a whisperin' in the back of my mind. My eye was drawn over towards Bilbo. More specifically, his pocket. His pocket, in which his hand was fidgeting with something.

_One ring to rule them all, one ring to bind them…_ A shiver ran down my spine. Was my mind playin' tricks on me? But it came again.

_One ring to rule them all, one ring to bind them…_ I was certain now. It was coming from Bilbo's pocket. Something in the hobbit's pocket was whisperin'. _One ring-_

"-and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" Thorin finished, snappin' me out of my trance. The crowd behind me cheered loudly. But the voices died down as Bard strode into the middle.

"Death!" He shouted, silencin' all cheerin' now. "That is what you will bring upon us! Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, he will destroy us all!" the crowd whispered anxiously now.

"You can listen to this naysayer. But I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain! You will have enough gold to build Esgaroth ten times over!" Thorin promised the people, who ate his words easily.

"All of you! Listen to me! You must listen!" Bard continued, sounding anxious. "Have you forgotten what happened in Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose?" Bard said, turnin' back to Thorin. "The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

"Now now." The master spoke up for the first time in awhile. "We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Gorion, lord of dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast." Alfred muttered somethin' in agreement. Bard looked around before stridin' right up to Thorin, lookin' down at the dwarven king.

"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!" the man hissed.

"I have the only right." Thorin shot back defiantly, turin' back to face the Master. I zoned out again. Starin' up at the sky, I watched large snowflakes drift down from the sky. It reminded me of ash, floatin' through a black ashen sky. I looked over to see Kili shivering next to me. His skin was pale and his eyes were glazed over. Couldn't Thorin hurry this along?

"What say you?" Thorin asked the master as I turned my attention back to the conversation.

"I say unto you…" The master hesitated. "Welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome! King under the mountain!" The crowd erupted into applause. Bard just stared at Thorin angrily.

"Well if you're all done talkin' about everythin' under the moon and stars…" I spoke up angrily. "I suggest we all find some sort of shelter before we all freeze to death!" The celebration that followed was large. Larger than I had expected from all the starvin' people I had seen before. I couldn't eat much however; I was too worried about Kili. He had been lookin' progressively worse as time went on. I was about to suggest that he should call it a night, but Thorin called me over. I followed to dwarven king outside into the snow once again. The sounds of celebration were less from out on the snowy planks.

"I shall not waste time dancing around the subject." Thorin began, not lookin' at me.

"I know, I know. It isn't fit for a half-breed like me to be with the likes of royalty. We've had this conversation before." I sighed, earnin' me an irritated look from Thorin. "But, have you considered how Kili feels about it?" I asked. "Doesn't he have any say?"

"He doesn't." Thorin answered simply. "Not yet anyway. He is still to young to fully understand the consequences of his actions. Keeping the two of you around each other is the worst thing I could do right now." Then I realized what he was doin'.

"You're plannin' on leavin' me behind! Aren't you?" I cried angrily.

"No." Thorin shook his head. "You will be coming with me."

"What?" I puzzled. "But I thought you just said-"

"Kili will not be continuing to the mountain." Thorin turned away again.

"You have got to be jokin'." I said, not even laughin'. "Do you realize how much Kili has been lookin' forward to this? To seein' the halls of Erebor?"

"And he will." Thorin nodded. "Once he is healed and Erebor is free of Dragon."

"You can't do this!" I cried.

"I can and I will!" Thorin shouted back at me. "I am king! I must do what is best for my people and the success of this mission." I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off again. "We must reach the mountain by tomorrow night. Otherwise, all our efforts are wasted. Kili's wound will only slow us down." I couldn't argue with that logic.

"Then I'll stay here too." I decided firmly.

"You _will_ be coming with us." He repeated. "And, if Kili is still interested in you by the time you return, than I may… consider your earlier points." With that, he walked off, leavin' me in the gently fallin' snow.

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